When did the Articles of Confederation take effect?

The Articles of Confederation took effect on March 1, 1781.

The Articles were the United States' first frame of national government. The Second Continental Congress approved the final text on November 15, 1777, but the document could not operate fully until every state ratified it. Maryland, the last holdout, approved the Articles on February 2, 1781, after disputes over western land claims were resolved. Congress recognized the completed ratification on March 1.

The Articles created a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage western territories, but it could not directly tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce. These limitations contributed to calls for a stronger federal system. The Constitution replaced the Articles on March 4, 1789, although the Articles' period is often mistakenly treated as beginning with their 1777 approval rather than their 1781 effective date.