For America’s 250th anniversary, what document served as the United States’ first governing charter?

The Articles of Confederation served as the United States’ first governing charter.

The Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, and all thirteen states ratified them by March 1, 1781. The document created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established a national Congress, but it gave the central government limited powers.

Under the Articles, Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, manage western territories, and request money from the states. It could not directly tax citizens or regulate interstate commerce. Each state had one vote in Congress regardless of population, and major decisions often required a large supermajority.

Weaknesses exposed after the Revolutionary War encouraged calls for reform. The 1787 Constitutional Convention went beyond amendment and produced the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution replaced the Articles in 1789, creating a stronger federal system with executive and judicial branches.