On what date did the Second Continental Congress finalize the Articles of Confederation?

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

The Articles were the first written constitution of the United States. Congress debated the document during the Revolutionary War, when the states were still fighting Britain and needed a framework for cooperation.

Finalization did not make the Articles immediately effective. The document had to be ratified by all 13 states, and Maryland’s delayed approval held up completion of the process. The Articles formally came into force on March 1, 1781.

The Articles created a deliberately weak central government. Congress could conduct diplomacy, manage war, and settle some disputes, but it lacked important powers such as direct taxation and a separate executive branch. The Constitution replaced the Articles in 1789.