On what date did ratification of the Articles of Confederation become complete?

Ratification of the Articles of Confederation became complete on March 1, 1781.

The Articles were the first written constitution of the United States. The Second Continental Congress adopted the document in November 1777, but it could not take effect until every state approved it. Maryland delayed ratification because it objected to states claiming western lands, and its approval finally completed the process in 1781.

The Articles created a confederation in which the states retained most political power. Congress could conduct diplomacy, make treaties, declare war, and manage certain national matters, but it could not directly tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce. The national government therefore depended heavily on state cooperation and voluntary financial contributions.

Weaknesses under the Articles contributed to calls for a stronger federal system. Delegates met at the Philadelphia Convention in 1787 and drafted the Constitution, which replaced the Articles when the new government began operating in 1789. The Articles were therefore not simply a failed draft; they governed the United States during the Revolutionary War’s final period and the early postwar years.