Of the original 13 states, which was last to ratify the Articles of Confederation?

The first state to ratify the Articles of Confederation was Virginia, on December 16, 1777. South Carolina was the second state to ratify, Rhode Island was 4th, Pennsylvania was 8th. On February 2, 1781 Maryland ratified, making it the last of the original states to do so. Maryland held out until the landed states, (states with claims to land west of their border) especially Virginia, had indicated they were prepared to cede their claims west of the Ohio River to the Union. Final ratification was at noon on March 1, 1781. Ceding land to government was common. At one time parts of Michigan and Wisconsin were part of Massachusetts that were ceded to the Union.

There were 7 states that were landed states. They were New York, Massachusetts, Virginia, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The land south and east of the Ohio, known as Kentucky, was retained by Virginia, was organized and turned into the Fayette, Jefferson and Lincoln counties. Kentucky was finally admitted in 1792, after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution and multiple attempts to agree upon a state constitution that was acceptable to both Virginia and the U.S. Congress.