Today we reviewed how the first form of government after the American Revolution didn't work. The Articles of Confederation established the colonies as a union of states and served as the nation's constitution. Basically, the Declaration of Independence said that the colonies were no longer part of Britain, and the Articles of Confederation said that those colonies were their own nation with its own government. This document legally gave the Continental Congress the power to direct the colonies, interact with other governments, and conduct the war against Britain. It was the first attempt by the Americans to really develop their own government, but it quickly became obvious that the nation would need more direct leadership after the war was over. In 1789, the Articles of Confederation were replaced with the U.S. Constitution, which restructured American government beginning in 1789 to this very day.