Continental Congress adopts the Articles of ConfederationNov 15, 1777Labels: Second Continental, Articles ofNational ArchivesBritannica
Confederation Congress creates a national finance departmentFeb 7, 1781Labels: Confederation Congress, Department ofFinance Dept
Articles take effect after final state ratificationMar 1, 1781Labels: Maryland, Articles ofNational ArchivesBritannica
Newburgh crisis tests civilian control over the ArmyMar 15, 1783Labels: Newburgh, George WashingtonGilder LehrmanABT
Treaty of Paris signed, ending the Revolutionary WarSep 3, 1783Labels: Treaty of, British governmentNational ArchivesBritannica
Confederation Congress ratifies the Treaty of ParisJan 14, 1784Labels: Confederation Congress, AnnapolisYale AvalonMaryland Archives
Congress approves the Ordinance of 1784 for western territoriesApr 23, 1784Labels: Ordinance of, CongressFounders ArchivesUS House History
Mount Vernon Compact shows states cooperating on commerceMar 28, 1785Labels: Mount Vernon, Virginia MarylandMount VernonMount Vernon Conf
Land Ordinance establishes a national survey-and-sale systemMay 20, 1785Labels: Land Ordinance, CongressUS House RecordsEncyclopedia Virginia
Shays’s Rebellion highlights weaknesses in taxation and orderAug 1, 1786Labels: Shays's Rebellion, MassachusettsBritannicaConstitutional Conv
Annapolis Convention calls for broader constitutional reformSep 14, 1786Labels: Annapolis Convention, state commissionersMaryland ArchivesAnnapolis Conv
Philadelphia Convention begins to revise the ArticlesMay 25, 1787Labels: Philadelphia Convention, Constitutional ConventionBritannicaHISTORY
Northwest Ordinance sets rules for territorial government and statehoodJul 13, 1787Labels: Northwest Ordinance, CongressNational ArchivesHISTORY
U.S. Constitution signed, replacing the Articles’ frameworkSep 17, 1787Labels: U S, Constitutional delegatesBritannicaNational Archives