Which document served as the first written constitution of the United States before the Constitution of 1787?

The Articles of Confederation served as the first written constitution of the United States before the Constitution of 1787.

The Articles created a “firm league of friendship” among the states and established a national Congress. Congress could conduct diplomacy, declare war, make treaties, and manage western territories, but the central government lacked power to impose taxes directly or regulate interstate commerce.

The document was approved by the Second Continental Congress in 1777, but it did not take effect until March 1, 1781, when Maryland became the final state to ratify it. The Confederation government operated during the final years of the Revolutionary War and the early years of independence.

Financial problems, trade disputes, and difficulties enforcing congressional decisions contributed to calls for a stronger federal system. Delegates met in Philadelphia in 1787 and drafted the United States Constitution, which replaced the Articles after ratification. The Articles were not the Declaration of Independence and did not establish the presidential system used under the later Constitution.