- Thomas Jefferson drafts the Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of Independence is signed
- The United States declares independence from Great Britain
- The American Revolutionary War begins
1781
- The Articles of Confederation are ratified
- The United States becomes a sovereign nation
1787
- The Constitutional Convention meets in Philadelphia to draft the Constitution of the United States
- The Constitution of the United States is signed
1788
- The Constitution is ratified by the states
- The first presidential election is held
- George Washington is elected the first President of the United States
1789
- George Washington takes office as the first President of the United States
- The United States government is established