The Formation of the Union - The National Archives of the United States

Between September 5, 1774, when the First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and December 15, 1791, when the Bili of Rights became part of the Constitution of the United States, the course of American history was set for centuries to come. Thirteen small and separate Colonies—in many cases having little in common besides their fealty to Great Britain—declared themselves independent states, secured recognition from foreign powers and máde an alliance with France, defeated Great Britain on the field of battle, and negotiated a treaty of peace with favorable territorial provisions. Experi-menting and innovating as they went, the new States established a com-pletely original non-colonial policy for territorial acquisitions. When a confederation—their earliest form of government—appeared inadequate, they changed their political structure, in peaceful revolution, to a federal unión under man's first written national constitution with specific guar-antees of individual freedom in the Bili of Rights. The Americans who travelled this remarkable route were wise in the ways of politics after their long experience of virtual self-government within the British Empire and could boast a high level of literacy fór the period in which they lived. The canny lawyers and businessmen they chose to lead the American Revolution were careful to leave a written record of most of the steps in the formation of the American Union.