Are the articles of confederation and the us constitution the same?

Answer 1

No - they are NOT the same document.

The "Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union" served as the first constitution of the USA. They were A constitution but not THE CONSTITUTION. The Articles were drafted between 1776-77 and became the working constitution during the Revolutionary war and served as the charter for the new nation for several years thereafter, although ratification was not completed until 1781. It soon became evident that the powers granted to the central government were still too weak to effectively conduct business with other nations on behalf of the new nation, nor did the government have adequate means to resolve disputes between different states.

As a result, representatives of the extant states gathered to start discussing revisions to the Articles - and eventually concluded that a whole new document was needed. The Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia in 1787 and hammered out the details and compromises necessary and the new Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 and sent to the various states for ratification. Upon ratification and the formation of the new government under the terms of the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation became null and void.