What document governed the United States before the Constitution, a founding-era text recalled by America250?

The Articles of Confederation governed the United States before the Constitution, a founding-era text recalled by America250.

Congress adopted the Articles in 1777, but all thirteen states had to ratify them before they took effect. Maryland became the final state to ratify, on March 1, 1781. The Articles created a loose union in which the states retained most governing power.

The Confederation Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, but it could not directly tax citizens or regulate interstate commerce. It also lacked a separate executive branch and a national court system.

Financial problems, trade disputes, and difficulties responding to unrest encouraged leaders to meet at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The Constitution replaced the Articles in 1789. The Articles were therefore not an early version of the Constitution; they established a different, more decentralized system.