Oct 23, 2023 · The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution. It was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present-day Constitution went into effect.

The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first frame of government during the American Revolution.

Adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by the states in 1781, the Articles of Confederation created a weak central government—a “league of friendship”—that largely preserved state power (and independence).

Mar 20, 2025 · Articles of Confederation, first U.S. constitution (1781–89), which served as a bridge between the initial government by the Continental Congress of the Revolutionary period and the federal government provided under the U.S. Constitution of 1787.

Sep 26, 2016 · After considerable debate and alteration, the Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution, and was in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789 when the present day Constitution went into effect.

In force between 1781 and 1789, Great Britain’s thirteen rebellious colonies enacted the Articles during the American War for Independence to coordinate the war effort and organize the …

Apr 23, 2024 · Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America, agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between

Created to unify the 13 colonies, the Articles nevertheless established a largely decentralized government that vested most power in the states and in the national legislature.

Oct 27, 2009 · The Articles of Confederation, composed in 1777 and ratified in 1781, granted powers to Congress as the first written constitution of the United States.

View the original text of history's most important documents, including the Articles of Confederation