What was the first governing charter of the United States during the Revolutionary era?

The Articles of Confederation were the first governing charter of the United States during the Revolutionary era.

The Continental Congress approved the Articles in 1777, but all thirteen states had to ratify them before they took effect. Maryland became the last state to ratify, in 1781. The Articles formally organized a confederation of states during the Revolutionary War.

Their system gave Congress limited powers and left substantial authority with the individual states. Congress could conduct diplomacy, manage war, and handle certain national matters, but it lacked several powers later associated with the Constitution, including a general power to tax individuals directly.

The Articles remained in force until the Constitution replaced them in 1789. Their successes and weaknesses shaped the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This makes them an important neighboring fact to the Declaration of Independence, even though the declaration itself was not a constitution.