For America250, on what date did the Articles of Confederation take effect?

The Articles of Confederation took effect on March 1, 1781. They became binding after Maryland delivered the final state ratification to the Confederation Congress.

Congress had approved the Articles in November 1777, but the document required ratification by all thirteen states. Disputes over western land claims delayed unanimous approval for several years. Maryland’s ratification removed the final obstacle and created the first constitutional framework for the United States.

The Articles established a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, manage western territories, and request funds, but it lacked several powers later granted by the Constitution, including the ability to levy taxes directly and regulate interstate commerce effectively.

The Articles remained in force until the Constitution replaced them in 1789. They are therefore distinct from the Declaration of Independence, which announced separation from Britain, and from the Constitution, which created the present federal system. The Articles governed the United States during the final years of the Revolution and the early postwar period.