CHAPTER ONE THE DAWN OF A NATION For eight years American colonists fought a war against Great Britain Great Britain ruled the 13 original colonies Many colonists wanted their independence So they fought and won The war became known as the American Revolution 1775 1783 The colonists faced challenges after gaining their independence The 13 former colonies began operating as separate states The idea of a Colonial leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence a document that spelled out the reasons Americans fought to gain their freedom 5
YORK CAPITAL OF THE NATION SEPTEMBER 30 1777 TO JUNE 27 1778 THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION FROM WERE ADOPTED HERE NOVEMBER 15 1777 WITH THE NAME A אופן AM יוט אבויז STA כובויך UN פנדון 1 PLACED BY THE PENNSYLVANIA SOCLETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA A historical marker in York Pennsylvania commemorates the location where the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1777 powerful national government was not popular The people had just fought a war against this type of government A group known as the Continental Congress led the states after independence It used a document
called the Articles of Confederation to govern There were problems though The Articles created a weak national government The states held most of the power By 1787 it appeared the new nation might crumble The country needed a more powerful national government James Madison James Madison was a political thinker from Virginia He helped organize the Constitutional Convention He also helped write the Constitution’s first draft Many of the ideas in the document came from him This includes a Congress made up of two chambers Madison took detailed notes at the Convention He used them in writing the Constitution Madison is nicknamed the Father of the Constitution The Constitutional Convention Delegates from the states gathered in Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the summer of 1787 Their goal was to create a plan for a new government The meeting was called the Constitutional Convention Delegates argued over how the government should work 7
