On what date did all 13 states ratify the Articles of Confederation?

All 13 states ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781.

The Articles were the first frame of government for the United States. The Second Continental Congress approved the document in November 1777, but ratification took more than three years because states disagreed about western land claims. Maryland was the last state to approve it, allowing the Articles to take effect in 1781.

Under this system, each state retained substantial sovereignty, and the national government had a one-house Congress with limited powers. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage certain national matters, but it could not directly tax citizens or regulate interstate commerce effectively.

The Articles remained in force until the United States Constitution replaced them in 1789. They are often confused with the Constitution because both organized the national government, but the Articles created a much weaker central authority. Their limitations helped motivate the Constitutional Convention of 1787.