Final answer:
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781, was the first governing document of the United States and was succeeded by the Constitution in 1787 after being deemed ineffective at providing a strong central government.
Step-by-step explanation:
The document that was approved by 13 states and established the first government in 1781 was the Articles of Confederation. Drafted in 1777 and finally ratified in 1781, the Articles provided a loose federation of the states under a weak central government that lacked the power to tax and regulate trade effectively. This first government was replaced by the Constitution in 1787 after the conclusion of the Philadelphia Convention, when a new framework was proposed to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
The ratification of the new Constitution was met with debates between the Federalists, who supported the new Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who opposed it. The Federalist Papers were a series of essays written to promote the Federalist cause. The Constitution was eventually ratified by all 13 states, with Rhode Island being the last to do so on May 29, 1790, allowing the new government framework to take effect.