The United States of America's first "constitution" was called the Articles of Confederation. This document was the first attempt by the Continental Congress to draft a document that would create a binding document and covenant to govern the 13 colonies as they fought against the British in the revolution and into the future. The Articles of Confederation were later scrapped when the Continental Congress wrote and ratified the U.S. Constitution in 1789 to overcome the deficits of the Articles of Confederation.