The Articles of Confederation were fully ratified by the American states on March 1, 1781.
The Articles created the first governing framework for the United States during the Revolutionary War and early independence. The Continental Congress approved them on November 15, 1777, but the document could not take full effect until every state ratified it. Maryland's eventual approval ended the long delay.
Under the Articles, the states retained substantial sovereignty, while Congress handled diplomacy, war, western lands, and other shared matters. There was no separate executive branch and no national court system comparable to those created by the later Constitution. Each state had one vote in Congress regardless of population.
The Articles remained the national framework until the Constitution replaced them in 1789. Their weaknesses, especially limited federal revenue and enforcement powers, helped motivate the Constitutional Convention of 1787.