All 13 states ratified the Articles of Confederation, the United States’ first constitution.
The Articles created a loose union among the states and established the Confederation Congress as the national government. Congress approved the Articles in 1777, but the document did not take effect until Maryland became the final state to ratify it in 1781.
The Articles reflected wartime concerns about centralized power. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, but it lacked several powers associated with the later federal government, including the ability to levy national taxes directly.
The Articles were replaced by the U.S. Constitution after the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Constitution strengthened the national government while preserving a federal system of states.