The Articles of Confederation served as the United States’ governing framework before the Constitution, a founding text linked to America's 250th anniversary.
The Articles were approved by the Second Continental Congress in 1777 and became fully ratified on March 1, 1781. They created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established Congress as the central institution of the Confederation.
Under the Articles, Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, manage western territories, and request money from the states. It could not directly tax individuals, regulate interstate commerce, or easily enforce its decisions. Each state had one vote in Congress regardless of population.
The weaknesses of this system contributed to calls for reform after the Revolutionary War. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 produced a new framework that replaced the Articles in 1789. The Articles were therefore the first national governing document of the United States, while the Constitution remains the current governing framework.