The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution of the United States, adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and in force from March 1, 1781, until 1789. They established a "league of friendship" among the 13 sovereign and independent states, creating a weak central government that preserved the independence and sovereignty of each state. The Articles provided a framework for governing the new nation during and shortly after the American Revolution, with a single-house Congress where each state had one vote. The Articles consisted of thirteen articles that set the rules for the operation of the confederation government:

• Article 1 named the new nation the United States of America.
• Article 2 affirmed the sovereignty of each state, except for powers delegated to the central government.
• Article 3 created a firm league of friendship for common defense and mutual welfare among the states.
• Article 4 allowed freedom of movement and equal rights among citizens of the states, with provisions for extradition of criminals.
• Article 5 established the Congress of the Confederation with equal voting for each state.
• Articles 6 through 8 defined the powers of the central government, mainly related to war, foreign relations, and finance, but it had limited power such as no authority to tax or regulate commerce.
• The Articles lacked an executive branch, national court system, and national currency.
• Amendments required unanimous consent from all states.

Overall, the Articles of Confederation created a weak central government that was incapable of enforcing laws, regulating trade, or raising revenue by taxation, which later led to their replacement by the current U.S. Constitution.