The articles of confederation and the perpetual union, known as the articles of the confederation, constituted the first government document of the United States of America. They were approved by the second continental congress on November 15th, 1777, after several months of debate. It was a non-mandatory guideline until its ratification four years later, on March 1st, 1781.
Its first job was to establish a weak confederation that united the thirteen British North American colonies, with the capacity to govern almost only on times of war and emergencies.
