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Articles of confederation adopted
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781. -
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Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris of 1783, negotiated between the United States and Great Britain, ended the revolutionary war and recognized American independence. The Continental Congress named a five-member commission to negotiate a treaty–John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Laurens. -
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Shay's rebellion
Shay's rebellion was an armed uprising with more than 4,000 soldiers against perceived economic and civil rights injustices. -
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the constitutional convention
In September 1786, at the Annapolis Convention, delegates from five states called for a Constitutional Convention in order to discuss possible improvements to the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787. -
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The Three-Fifths Compromise
The population of slaves would be counted as three-fifths in total when apportioning Representatives, as well as Presidential electors and taxes. The Three-Fifths Compromise was proposed by James Wilson and Roger Sherman, who were both delegates for the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
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The Commerce Compromise
he issue over whether congress could regulate trade, Northern States said they could, The Southern States said they couldn't, The outcome was that Congress could regulate trade, No export tax, and No limit on slave trade for 20 years. The Commerce Compromise. -
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Signing of the Constitution
The Constitution was written during the Philadelphia Convention—now known as the Constitutional Convention. It was signed on September 17, 1787. -
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The Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
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The new jersey plan
The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787. -
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Northwest Ordiance
The Northwest Ordinance was an act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States (the Confederation Congress), passed July 13, 1787. -
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The great compromise
The Great Compromise saved the Constitutional Convention, and, probably, the Union. Authored by Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman, it called for proportional representation in the House, and one representative per state in the Senate. -
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Four more states ratified the constitution
A majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the documents over which they had labored since May. -
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The Federalist Papers
The Federalist (later known as The Federalist Papers) is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. -
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The constitution ratified by first state
It took 10 months for the first nine states to approve the Constitution. The first state to ratify was Delaware, on December 7, 1787, by a extremely outnumbered vote. The featured document is an endorsed ratification of the federal Constitution by the Delaware convention. -
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Debate over the bill of rights
The Debate over Ratification. The debate polarized the new nation. Those who supported the Constitution became known as federalists and those who opposed its ratification were called antifederalists. The federalists supported a strong national government to preserve order. -
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Constitution ratified by the final state
When a bill of rights was proposed in Congress in 1789, North Carolina ratified the Constitution. Finally, Rhode Island, which had rejected the Constitution in March 1788 by popular referendum, called a ratifying convention in 1790 as specified by the Constitutional Conventio -
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First president of the US was elected
George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, is unanimously elected the first president of the United States by all 69 presidential electors who cast their votes. -
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The bill of Rights was added to the constitution
The Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution to guarantee the protection of the people from a strong central government. It served as a compromise between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists to achieve the ratification of the Constitution.