The Articles of Confederation took effect as the first U.S. frame of government on March 1, 1781.
Congress finalized the Articles on November 15, 1777, but they required ratification by all thirteen states. Maryland was the final state to approve them, doing so on February 2, 1781. Congress was informed of Maryland’s ratification on March 1, when the Articles officially became the nation’s governing framework.
The Articles created a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct diplomacy, manage war-related affairs, and make certain national decisions, but it lacked several powers associated with the later Constitution, including broad authority to tax individuals directly.
The Articles remained in force until March 4, 1789, when the Constitution replaced them. They are therefore part of the bridge between the Declaration celebrated in America250 and the federal government established by the Constitution.