Articles of Confederation

American  

[ahr-ti-kuhlz uhv kuhn-fed-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˈɑr tɪ kəlz əv kənˌfɛd əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. the first constitution of the 13 American states, adopted in 1781 and replaced in 1789 by the Constitution of the United States.

---

Articles of Confederation British  

plural noun

1. the agreement made by the original 13 states in 1777 establishing a confederacy to be known as the United States of America; replaced by the Constitution of 1788

---

Articles of Confederation Cultural  

1. An agreement among the thirteen original states, approved in 1781, that provided a loose federal government before the present Constitution went into effect in 1789. There was no chief executive or judiciary, and the legislature of the Confederation had no authority to collect taxes.

---

Example Sentences

He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1777, befriended Hamilton, and served as his top Treasury assistant.

From Barron's • Mar. 1, 2026

Hence they created the Articles of Confederation by signing a treaty among themselves.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

It’s worth noting that the Articles of Confederation were explicitly perpetual — no state could leave on its own.

From Salon • Dec. 16, 2023

They had failures; their first effort, the Articles of Confederation, collapsed.

From Washington Post • Dec. 1, 2022

Washington was asked by his beloved Virginia to take part in a convention charged with revising the Articles of Confederation, the first American constitution.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis