On what date did the Continental Congress approve the Articles of Confederation?

The Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777.

The Articles were the first written framework of government for the United States. Congress debated them in Philadelphia from July 1776 through November 1777, while the Revolutionary War was still underway. The document described a “firm league of friendship” among the states and assigned most governmental power to the state governments.

Approval by Congress did not immediately put the Articles into force. The document required ratification by every state, and Maryland delayed the process while seeking resolution of competing western land claims. Maryland finally ratified on February 2, 1781, and the Articles became effective on March 1, 1781.

The Articles created a national Congress but no separate executive branch or national judiciary. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, yet it could not directly tax citizens. Difficulties under this system helped lead to the Constitutional Convention and the replacement of the Articles by the Constitution in 1789.