In 1781, the states ratified their first collective constitution called what?

The first collective constitution ratified by the states in 1781 is the Articles of Confederation. This document established a loose alliance of sovereign states and served as the governing framework for the United States during the early years following independence from Britain.

The Articles created a weak central government that lacked the authority to tax or regulate commerce effectively, which eventually led to discussions about revising the system of governance. This historical context is essential to understanding why the Articles of Confederation were later replaced by the United States Constitution in 1789.

The other options do not refer to a collective constitution ratified in that time frame. The Constitutional Convention was a gathering that took place in 1787 to address the weaknesses of the Articles, while the Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the Constitution, providing specific protections for individual liberties but was ratified later, in 1791. The United States Constitution itself took effect in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation but was not the document ratified in 1781.