The states ratified the Articles of Confederation in 1781.
The Articles served as the first written constitution of the United States. The Second Continental Congress approved them for submission to the states in November 1777, but ratification took several years because of disputes over western land claims. Maryland became the final state to ratify them on March 1, 1781.
The document created a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, but it lacked important powers such as the authority to impose federal taxes directly or regulate interstate commerce.
The Articles helped coordinate the war effort and the early republic, but their weaknesses became increasingly apparent after independence. The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787 and produced a new Constitution, which replaced the Articles after the required ratification process. The Articles formally remained in effect until the new government began operating in 1789.