For America250, which document became the United States’ first constitution in 1781?

The Articles of Confederation became the United States’ first constitution when they took effect on March 1, 1781.

The Second Continental Congress debated the Articles from July 1776 through November 1777. The document created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established a national Congress, but it gave the central government limited powers. Congress could conduct diplomacy, manage war, and request funds, while it lacked broad authority to tax individuals directly or regulate interstate commerce.

Maryland was the last state to ratify, largely because of disputes over western land claims. Its approval allowed the Articles to take effect in 1781. The Articles remained the nation’s governing framework until the U.S. Constitution replaced them in 1789. They are often mistakenly called merely a wartime agreement; in fact, they served as the country’s first written constitutional system.