The Articles of Confederation drafted by John Dickinson in 1776, during the 2nd Continental Congress, was ratified on March 1, 1781, by the thirteen states. It remained the unifying document of the states until June 21, 1788. The Articles provided the United States with a legislature (Congress) of which power was bestowed. However, it could not levy taxes nor could it enforce its laws. The Articles effectively established a system of expansion that allowed the country to slowly grow and expand. Although the nation was ruled by a Congress with considerable puissance, it nation lacked centralization, and as a result, was not governed by an encompassing federal branch but instead ruled individually by sovereign states.

As the first written constitution of the United States, the Articles of Confederation created a unicameral legislature where each state was represented equally. The Congress had jurisdiction over foreign relations with the authority to form alliances and make...