Which document was the first governing framework of the United States?

The Articles of Confederation were the first governing framework of the United States. They created a confederation of states and served as the country’s first constitution from 1781 until 1789.

The Continental Congress approved the Articles in 1777, but all thirteen states had to ratify them before they could take effect. Maryland became the final state to ratify them on March 1, 1781. The Articles established a Congress but did not create a separate executive branch or national court system.

The system preserved substantial state power and gave Congress limited authority, including responsibility for diplomacy, war, and western territories. Congress could not directly tax individuals or regulate interstate commerce, problems that contributed to calls for a stronger federal government. The Constitutional Convention produced the United States Constitution in 1787.