The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the United States before the Constitution, in the founding era marked by America250.
The Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles on November 15, 1777, but they did not take effect until all thirteen states ratified them on March 1, 1781. The document created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established a national Congress with limited powers.
Under the Articles, Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, and manage certain national matters, but it could not directly tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce. Each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of population. This structure made coordinated national action difficult, especially when money and supplies were needed.
The weaknesses exposed during the Confederation period contributed to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Constitution replaced the Articles after ratification by the states. The two documents are therefore related but distinct: the Articles governed the early United States, while the Constitution created the federal system still in operation.