What document served as the first constitution of the United States from 1781 until 1789?

The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the United States from 1781 until 1789.

The Continental 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 the document on March 1, 1781, during the Revolutionary War.

The Articles created a league of states with a deliberately weak central government. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, but it lacked reliable power to tax individuals, regulate interstate commerce, or enforce many decisions.

Financial problems, trade disputes, and unrest such as Shays’ Rebellion increased pressure for reform. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 produced the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles when the new government began operating in 1789.