On what date did the United States ratify the Articles of Confederation?

The United States ratified the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781.

The Articles were the first governing document of the United States and created a confederation of sovereign states. The Second Continental Congress approved the text in November 1777, but ratification took several years because Maryland objected to western land claims held by other states.

Maryland became the final state to ratify after land-claim disputes were addressed, allowing the Articles to take effect on March 1, 1781. The document established a Congress with important responsibilities, including diplomacy, war, and western territorial administration, but it did not create a separate executive branch or national judiciary.

The Articles government helped conduct the Revolutionary War and manage the new nation, yet its limited power made taxation and enforcement difficult. The Constitution replaced the Articles after it was drafted in 1787 and took effect in 1789, creating the federal structure familiar today.