The first constitution of the United States was called what?

• A. The Articles of Confederation
• B. The Constitution
• C. The Magna Carta
• D. The Northwest Ordinance

Answer: (A)

The first constitution was the Articles of Confederation, which created a loose alliance of states and a weak central government. Under it, Congress could handle war, diplomacy, and issuing money, but it could not tax or regulate commerce, and there was no separate executive or national court. Major decisions required agreement from all states, so the national government often couldn’t act quickly or effectively. This arrangement lasted until a stronger framework—the current Constitution—replaced it because the new nation needed a more robust and unified government.

The other options don’t fit as the first constitution: the current Constitution is the later, official framework; the Magna Carta is an English medieval charter that influenced later ideas but is not a U.S. document; the Northwest Ordinance was a rule for governing new western territories, not the national constitution.