On what date did the states finally ratify the Articles of Confederation?

The states finally ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781, creating the United States’ first governing framework.

The Second Continental Congress approved the Articles for submission to the states on November 15, 1777. Ratification took several years because states disputed western land claims, especially whether states with large claims should surrender them to the national government.

Maryland became the final state to approve the Articles after Virginia and other states agreed to relinquish competing claims. The Articles then took effect, replacing the Continental Congress’s wartime arrangements with a formal confederation of states.

The system gave Congress authority over war, diplomacy, treaties, and currency, but it could not directly tax citizens or regulate interstate commerce. These weaknesses made national finances and coordinated policy difficult. The Constitutional Convention met in 1787 and produced the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles after ratification.