The Articles of Confederation acted as the first United States Constitution; it was a written document that established the fundamental principles and functions of the Continental Congress, which acted similarly to a government. The Articles of Confederation were used between 1781 and 1789 in response to the declaration of independence from Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation later got changed into the U.S. Constitution, so many of the laws before had also changed. One of these changes is the transformation from a unicameral legislature, which consists of one house, to a bicameral legislature, which consists of two houses. This connection between the Articles of Confederation and the different types of government is important because it allows people to see how the U.S. made progress.

The Articles of Confederation served as the first written document that established the relationship and responsibilities between the states and the U.S. government. These rules, which were later revised, formed the framework of the American government. The Articles of Confederation highlighted that the central government, the Congress, of the United States should be weak. The main purpose behind these rules was to prevent the government from having control over the states, which was similar to British rule. Also, representation was not determined by population size; instead, each state had equal representation, which resulted in the absence of the House of Representatives or Senate. Additionally, there were no branches of government—judicial, legislative, or executive. Nevertheless, Digital History says that Congress was authorized to declare war, appoint military officials, negotiate treaties, form alliances, and handle relations with Native American tribes. Congress, however, lacked many of the responsibilities needed for a strong government. As mentioned previously, many of these rules were changed, but the original laws have played an important role in helping the nation learn. This knowledge was used to make the Constitution better and stronger, which was because of the information they got from the Articles of Confederation.