What was the first national governing document of the United States before the Constitution?

The Articles of Confederation were the first national governing document of the United States before the Constitution.

Congress approved the Articles for distribution to the states on November 15, 1777. They created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and provided a framework for conducting the Revolutionary War and managing the new nation.

The Articles came into force on March 1, 1781, after Maryland became the final state to ratify them. Their system gave most authority to the states and left Congress without important powers, including the general ability to tax or regulate interstate commerce.

Problems under the Articles helped prompt the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Constitution replaced the Articles as the national framework on March 4, 1789. The Mayflower Compact and Virginia Declaration of Rights were influential earlier documents, but neither served as the first national government of the United States.