What is the difference between confederation and federation, with respect to US history?

Question

What is the difference between confederation and federation, with respect to US history?

Answer 1

a confederation is a loose alliance of states while a federation more closely binds the individual states to one another

Answer 2

In a confederation, the states operate more independently mostly upon agreement, than being binded together by a central government, in a federation all states are states, but still united as a single country, but, in a confederation where different states operate independently and are unified upon agreement, the depredations of the corporation can not take place.  Hence the reason why the south seceded.

So yeah I'm agreeing with the other guy and expanding on the definition a little.

Hopefully someone will expand or correct mine, hope this helped.