The Articles of Confederation served as the United States' first constitution before the Constitution of 1787.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, but they did not take effect until March 1, 1781, after all 13 states ratified them. Their official title was the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.
Under the Articles, Congress could conduct diplomacy, make treaties, manage western lands, and oversee the war effort. However, the national government had no independent power to tax and lacked a separate executive branch. These weaknesses made national finances and coordinated policy difficult.
The Articles were replaced by the United States Constitution on March 4, 1789. They are sometimes mistakenly called a declaration or simply confused with the Constitution, but they established an earlier and much weaker national framework.