The "Articles of Confederation" were adopted by the Continental Congress in 1777, and ratified by all 13 colonies by March 1 1781. Each state had its own government, and the continental congress acted as the authority for the United States as a whole. This is the organization that successfully prosecuted the war, negotiated the peace treaty, and passed significant legislation such as the Northwest Ordinances.

The government under the articles also created the office of President, several departments of the federal bureaucracy, and oversaw the ratification of the new Constitution by the states.

Library of Congress web site on the Articles: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html