The original United States Constitution contains seven main articles, establishing the federal framework highlighted by America250.
Article I creates the legislative branch and describes Congress. Article II establishes the executive branch and the presidency. Article III creates the federal judiciary. The remaining articles address relations among states, the amendment process, federal supremacy, and ratification.
The Constitution's Preamble introduces its purposes but is not counted as an article. The document also includes a closing section with signatures, and it has acquired amendments over time. Those features can cause readers to confuse the original seven-article structure with the current constitutional text.
The Constitutional Convention approved the document in Philadelphia in 1787. It took effect after ratification by the required states, and the first federal government under the Constitution began operations in 1789.