The Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia on this day in 1776, declared that the name of the newly formed nation fighting for its independence from Great Britain would be “The ...

When it was written in June 1776, Jefferson’s “Rough draught” employed a headline in capital letters that read: “A Declaration by the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in ...

By Jennifer Schuessler For those planning the United States’ Semiquincentennial ... Today, the Bicentennial — with its painted fire hydrants and explosion of 1776-themed products — is ...

On Sept. 9, 1776, the Continental Congress formally changed the name of their new nation to the “United States of America,” rather than the “United Colonies,” which was in regular use at ...