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Revolutionary War Begins
A series of events lead the 13 colonies of North America engage in the Revolution against Great Britain to fight for their independence. They were tired of owing money and having their freedom limited by the country they had physically separated from for their freedom. -
Committee of 5 appointed to draft Declaration of Independence
Roger Sherman, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Robert Livingston, known as “The Committee of Five”, are appointed by Congress to draft the Declaration of Independence. The committee operated from June 11, 1776 until July 5, 1776. -
Declaration of Independence adopted
Continental Congress adopts the document, it was not yet signed on this day, but it stated the colonists’ motivations for wanting their freedom. The document helped them declare themselves an independent nation. -
Articles of Confederation adopted
Continental Congress adopts Articles of Confederation, which created a weak central government, so most of the power was left to the state governments. Virginia was the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777, however all 13 states did not ratify the articles until March 1, 1781. -
End of Revolutionary War
After eight years of war, the Treaty of Paris was signed, where Britain formally recognizes the independence of the USA. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shays lead this rebellion against their state government as those who owed debt were being imprisoned and put on trial. Shays rebellion was ended but showed that Articles of Confederation were too weak and something needed to be changed with the documents and current government as the government did not have an effective response to the rebellion. -
Constitutional Convention
Fifty-five representatives attend and begin drafting the Constitution US Constitution written at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Delegates devised a plan for a stronger federal government with three branches: the executive, legislative and judicial, along with a system of checks and balances. Rhode island did not have a representative as it did not want a strong central government. -
George Washington Signs Constitution
George Washington was the first to sign the document, and oversees the members of the Constitutional Convention as they sign the final draft of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. -
Madison and Hamilton publish Federalist Papers
James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, with assistance from John Jay, wrote a series of essays to persuade people to ratify the Constitution. It was a collection of 85 essays that were called the Federalist Papers. -
Constitution Ratified by Delaware
Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution. It took ten months for the first nine states to ratify the Constitution. Later, after a Bill of Rights was proposed, North Carolina joined in the ratification. -
Constitution Ratification Complete
Constitution ratified and becomes the supreme law of the USA. New Hampshire was the 9th state to ratify it, and Rhode Island was the last later on, and agreed to it to not be treated as a foreign government.
