Which document created the first government framework for the United States in 1781?

The Articles of Confederation created the first government framework for the United States in 1781.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles in 1777, but they did not take effect until Maryland became the last state to ratify them on March 1, 1781. The document formed a “league of friendship” among the states and gave Congress responsibility for diplomacy, war, and western territories.

The Articles deliberately left most power with the states. Congress could not directly tax citizens, regulate interstate commerce, or easily enforce its decisions. Each state had one vote in Congress regardless of population, and major actions required a difficult supermajority.

The system helped coordinate the Revolutionary War and the postwar settlement, but its weaknesses became increasingly controversial. The Constitutional Convention met in 1787 and produced the Constitution, which replaced the Articles after ratification.