Continental Congresses
In September 1774, the First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, the first intercolonial meeting since the Stamp Act Congress of 1765. Fifty-five elected delegates fr...
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Confederation Years
Successful British settlement of the New World began in 1607 at Jamestown on the coast of present-day Virginia. By the mid-1700s, thirteen colonies, under British control, had been...
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Continental Congress
Excerpt from "Land Ordinance of 1785"
Issued on May 20, 1785, by the Continental Congress
Published in Documents of American History, edited by
Henry S. Commager, 19...
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Continental Congress
Excerpt from "The Northwest Ordinance"
Issued on July 13, 1787
Published in Documents of American History, edited by
Henry S. Commager, 1943
On July 13, 1787, Congre...
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Growth of a New Government
Adopted in 1781 as America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation soon proved inadequate for governing the young nation. By 1787, the United States was i...
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Continental Congresses
Confederation Years