| − | The U.S. Constitution did not create the "United States." The "Articles of Confederation," which came first, did. It was a desire to improve on the Articles of Confederation which resulted in the U.S. Constitution. | + | The U.S. Constitution did not create the "United States." The "Articles of Confederation," which came first, did. It was a desire to improve on the Articles of Confederation (AOC) which resulted in the U.S. Constitution. A common exam question asks about flaws in the AOC. |
| | Before and during the war, the [[Continental Congress]] met repeatedly to organize war efforts and try to resolve some issues for all the colonies as needed. This Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. The Declaration of Independence, which we honor on July 4th, first coined the name the "United States of America" as follows: the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." On November 15, 1777, this name was formally given to the new country when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. Its first Article states: "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" Thus it was the [[Articles of Confederation]], not the [[Constitution]], that first established the [[United States of America]]. The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781, which converted them from "colonies" into "states". But due to flaws in the Articles of Confederation, they lasted only eight (8) years, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789. | | Before and during the war, the [[Continental Congress]] met repeatedly to organize war efforts and try to resolve some issues for all the colonies as needed. This Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 and proposed the Articles of Confederation in 1777. The Declaration of Independence, which we honor on July 4th, first coined the name the "United States of America" as follows: the "unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." On November 15, 1777, this name was formally given to the new country when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. Its first Article states: "The Stile of this Confederacy shall be 'The United States of America.'" Thus it was the [[Articles of Confederation]], not the [[Constitution]], that first established the [[United States of America]]. The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all 13 colonies in 1781, which converted them from "colonies" into "states". But due to flaws in the Articles of Confederation, they lasted only eight (8) years, and were replaced by the Constitution in 1789. |