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July 4th 1776
The declaration of independence was signed. -
November 1777
Congress adopts articles of confederation -
March 1781
The articles of confederation go into effect -
1785
Land Ordinance of 1785 creates a plan for surveying and selling land in the Northwest Territory -
1786
Representatives from five states meet at Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss interstate trade. Because so few representatives attend, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison call for another convention to be held in Philadelphia. -
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Shays's Rebellion
In September 1786, Daniel Shays, a veteran who had fought at Bunker Hill, led a crowd to close the courthouse at Springfield. In January 1787, Shays led a larger group of angry farmers to break into the military arsenal at Springfield, where hundreds of guns were stored. -
May 1787
Constitutional Convention meets in Philidelphia -
July 1787
A five-man committee consisting of Oliver Ellsworth, Nathaniel Gorham, Edmund Randolph, John Rutledge, and James Wilson sat down to write a final document for Checks and Balances. -
1787
Throughout 1787 states started to choose delegates from their states. -
Federalists and Antifederalists
The delegates who met at Philidelphia in May 1787 expected to revise the Articles of Confederation and make the government stronger. Instead, they essentially threw out the Articles and wrote a new Constitution. The New Constitution put forth the framework for a strong national government with certain powers left to the states. -
February 21st
Congress approves the Constitutional convention. -
Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Papers
Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the 85 federalist papers. These federalist papers were defending the new constitution. John Jay only wrote 5 essays contributing to the papers, James Madison wrote 29, and Alexander Hamilton wrote 51 of the 85 federalist papers -
The Bill of Rights
The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. -
1789
The first Congress meets in New York -
1790
Throughout 1790, the newly established states slowly started to adopt the Bill of Rights
