On what date did the Articles of Confederation become effective?

The Articles of Confederation became effective on March 1, 1781.

The Articles were the first written constitution of the United States. The Second Continental Congress approved them in 1777, but they did not take effect until Maryland became the final state to ratify them in 1781. The document created a confederation of states during the Revolutionary War.

Under the Articles, the national government had a single Congress and no separate executive branch or national judiciary. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage certain national matters, but it lacked broad power to tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce.

The weaknesses became increasingly apparent after the war, contributing to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Constitution replaced the Articles in 1789. This earlier governing framework is an important part of the longer story that America250 commemorates, between independence and the present federal system.