Legal Definitions - Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were a set of rules that governed the relationship between the 13 original states in the United States. They were in effect from March 1, 1781 until the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.

The Continental Congress created the Articles of Confederation in 1777 and they were later ratified by representatives of each state. The purpose of the Articles was to establish a framework for cooperation between the states, but they were ultimately replaced by the Constitution because they were too weak to effectively govern the country.

For example, the Articles of Confederation gave the federal government very little power to regulate commerce or collect taxes. This made it difficult for the government to fund its operations and led to economic problems for the country.