What was the name of the first written constitution of the United States?

The first written constitution of the United States was the Articles of Confederation. Officially titled the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, it created the country’s first national government during the Revolutionary era.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles in November 1777, but they did not take effect until March 1, 1781, when Maryland became the last state to ratify them. The document established a “firm league of friendship” among the states and gave Congress authority over war, diplomacy, and western territories.

The Articles deliberately kept the central government weak. Congress could not directly tax citizens, regulate interstate commerce, or enforce its decisions through a national executive or court system. Each state retained substantial sovereignty, and every state had one vote in Congress regardless of population.

These weaknesses contributed to calls for reform after the war. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 produced the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles in 1789. The Articles are therefore sometimes confused with the current Constitution, but they were the nation’s first governing framework.