Which document replaced the Articles of Confederation as the U.S. governing framework?

The United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation as the nation’s governing framework.

Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles, but the convention ultimately produced an entirely new constitutional system. The Constitution created a stronger federal government with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while dividing authority between the national government and the states.

The convention signed the document on September 17, 1787. It took effect after ratification by the required number of states, and the new federal government began operating in 1789. George Washington presided over the convention, while James Madison was a major contributor to the drafting and later defense of the document.

The Constitution is separate from the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration announced separation from Great Britain in 1776; the Constitution established the structure of the United States government more than a decade later. Both are central landmarks in the history remembered by America250.