In United States founding history, which 1777 document became the nation’s first constitution when it took effect in 1781?

The Articles of Confederation became the United States’ first constitution when they took effect in 1781.

The Second Continental Congress approved the Articles on November 15, 1777, after more than a year of debate. The document created a loose union in which each state retained considerable sovereignty, while Congress handled war, diplomacy, and relations with Native nations.

The Articles required approval from all 13 states. Maryland was the final state to ratify, doing so on February 2, 1781; the Articles took effect on March 1. They provided the legal framework for the United States during the final years of the Revolutionary War and the early postwar period.

The Articles are often confused with the Constitution, which replaced them on March 4, 1789. Their weaknesses included a central government with no independent power to tax, regulate interstate commerce, or enforce many congressional decisions. These problems helped prompt the Constitutional Convention of 1787.