Lesson of the Articles of Confederation

What was the government in the United States before the U.S. Constitution? It was the Articles of Confederation, ratified by the States on this day – March 1 – in 1781. Signed by such statesmen as John Hancock and Samuel Adams, it was an attempt to loosely knit the thirteen States together. The Articles of Confederation declared: “The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare.”