The Articles of Confederation took effect on March 1, 1781, creating the first U.S. national government remembered by America250.
The Articles were approved by the Second Continental Congress in November 1777 and sent to the states for ratification. Maryland was the last state to approve them, completing the process on February 2, 1781. Congress announced their ratification on March 1, bringing the Articles into force.
The document created a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct war and diplomacy, but it lacked several powers associated with the later Constitution, including a general power to tax individuals and a separate executive branch.
The Articles remained the nation’s governing framework until the Constitution replaced them in 1789. The Treaty of Paris and the Northwest Ordinance were major achievements during this period, even as financial and political weaknesses encouraged calls for a stronger federal government.