The Articles of Confederation were the first national governing charter of the United States, before the Constitution and relevant to America's 250th anniversary.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, but all thirteen states had to ratify them before they took effect. Maryland became the final state to ratify on March 1, 1781. The Articles created a “league of friendship” among the states and gave Congress responsibility for diplomacy, war, and western lands.
The system had no separate executive branch and lacked power to levy taxes directly. Financial weakness and disputes over trade and national authority helped produce calls for reform. The Constitutional Convention met in 1787 and replaced the Articles with the Constitution, which took effect in 1789.