Which document replaced the Articles of Confederation?

The document that replaced the Articles of Confederation is the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation, which were the first governing document of the United States, proved to be ineffective in creating a strong federal government. They established a weak central authority that struggled to deal with various challenges, such as economic instability and interstate disputes.

In response to these issues, the Constitutional Convention was convened in 1787 to draft a new framework for government. The result was the United States Constitution, which created a stronger federal government with an intricate system of checks and balances between the three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This new Constitution was ratified by the states and officially replaced the Articles of Confederation, addressing many of the weaknesses that had been evident under the previous system.

The Federalist Papers, while instrumental in promoting the Constitution, are not a governing document themselves. The Declaration of Independence declared the colonies' separation from British rule and is not a blueprint for government operation. The Bill of Rights, consisting of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was added later to ensure individual liberties but did not replace the Articles of Confederation.