Which document became the United States’ first constitution when it was ratified in 1781?

The Articles of Confederation became the United States’ first constitution when they were ratified in 1781.

The Continental Congress approved the Articles for submission to the states in November 1777. Maryland’s ratification in March 1781 completed the process, making the Articles the operating constitutional framework for the new United States during the Revolutionary War and the early postwar period.

The Articles created a confederation in which the states retained substantial sovereignty. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage certain national matters, but it lacked important powers such as a general authority to tax individuals directly or regulate interstate commerce.

The system was later replaced by the United States Constitution, which was drafted in 1787 and took effect in 1789. The Articles therefore belong to the founding era commemorated by America250 but are not the same document as the Declaration of Independence.