The Lee Resolution is introduced
Richard Henry Lee presented a resolution that the colonies should be free and independent states, beginning Congress's formal path toward separation.
1776 - 1791
The road to a republic.
Follow the connected decisions, documents, and institutions that turned a declaration of independence into a new constitutional government.
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The founding breadcrumbs
Nine milestones, one evolving experiment.
Each marker is a step in the transition from colonies to a nation with a written framework for government and individual rights.
- The proposal
- The decision
Congress votes for independence
Twelve of the thirteen colonies adopted the independence resolution, while New York did not vote as it awaited instruction from its convention.
- The declaration
The Declaration is adopted
Congress approved the Declaration of Independence and sent its manuscript to printer John Dunlap for the first broadside copies.
- The signatures
Delegates begin signing
Most delegates signed the engrossed parchment on this date, creating the landmark document now associated with the founding.
- The recognition
The Treaty of Paris is signed
The treaty formally ended the Revolutionary War, recognized American independence, and established borders for the new nation.
- The framework
The Constitution is signed
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed a new framework for the federal government of the United States.
- The ratification
A ninth state approves the Constitution
New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, meeting the threshold set by Article VII for the Constitution to take effect.
- The new government
Washington takes the oath
George Washington took office as the first president, marking the executive branch's first day in operation under the Constitution.
- The safeguards
The Bill of Rights is ratified
Ten amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, adding enduring protections to the constitutional order.
A living record
Three documents, one continuing conversation.
The Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are often called the Charters of Freedom. Together, they record independence, establish government, and articulate rights.