Which agreement became the first governing constitution of the United States?

The Articles of Confederation became the first governing constitution of the United States. The Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, and the states completed ratification on March 1, 1781.

The Articles created a confederation in which the states retained most governmental power. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, manage western territories, and request money from the states, but it lacked a dependable power to tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce.

The system helped coordinate the Revolutionary War and continued after independence. It also provided the legal framework for the Confederation Congress, which approved the Treaty of Paris in 1784.

Problems with national finances, trade disputes, and events such as Shays’ Rebellion encouraged calls for reform. Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 and drafted the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles after ratification. The Articles therefore remained important even though they were eventually superseded by a stronger federal framework.