What document served as the United States’ first constitution?

The Articles of Confederation served as the United States’ first constitution.

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 had ratified them. They created a league of states with a deliberately weak central government during the Revolutionary War and its immediate aftermath.

Under the Articles, Congress could conduct diplomacy, manage western territories, and ask states for money and troops. It could not directly tax citizens, regulate interstate commerce, or easily enforce national decisions. Each state had one vote in Congress regardless of population.

Financial problems, trade disputes, and difficulties responding to events such as Shays’ Rebellion encouraged calls for a stronger federal system. The Constitutional Convention produced the U.S. Constitution, which replaced the Articles when the new government began in 1789. The Declaration of Independence was a founding announcement, not a constitution.