The Articles of Confederation officially took effect on March 1, 1781, as the United States’ first constitution.
The Second Continental Congress completed the Articles on November 15, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. The document created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established a national Congress, but it left most governing power with the individual states.
The Articles could not become effective until all thirteen states ratified them. Maryland was the last state to do so, resolving a dispute over western lands and allowing the Articles to take effect in 1781. Congress then operated under the completed confederation framework.
The system had important weaknesses: Congress could not directly tax individuals, regulate interstate commerce effectively, or compel states to meet financial requests. These problems contributed to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The United States Constitution replaced the Articles on March 4, 1789.