The Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation as the governing document of the United States. The Articles of Confederation were the nation's first constitution, adopted in 1777, but they created a weak central government without the power to control foreign policy or tax effectively. Due to these weaknesses, the Constitutional Convention was held in 1787 to address the issues, resulting in the drafting of the new Constitution, which established a stronger federal government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The Constitution officially replaced the Articles of Confederation when it was ratified and became operational in 1789.