The Articles of Confederation officially took effect as the first U.S. frame of government on March 1, 1781.
Congress finalized the Articles on November 15, 1777, but the document required ratification by every state. Maryland delayed approval because it wanted states with western land claims, especially Virginia, to address those claims before joining the Union under the Articles.
Maryland became the last state to ratify the agreement on February 2, 1781. Congress was notified in Philadelphia on March 1, and the Articles were then proclaimed effective. They created a confederation in which the states retained substantial power and the central Congress had limited authority.
The Articles helped coordinate the Revolutionary War and the early republic, but Congress could not directly tax citizens or regulate interstate commerce. Their weaknesses contributed to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Articles were superseded by the Constitution in 1789.