| Year | Month | Day | Event |
| 1754 | |||
| Jul | 11 | Albany Plan of Union | |
| 1765 | |||
| Oct | 9 | Continental Congressional Declaration of Rights | |
| 1774 | |||
| Sep | 28 | Plan for the Union Between the Colonies and Great Britain | |
| Oct | 14 | Continental Congressional Declaration of Rights | |
| Oct | 20 | Articles of Association passed by Continental Congress | |
| 1775 | |||
| Jul | 6 | Continental Congress Declaration and Causes of Taking Up Arms | |
| Nov | 9 | Resolution of Secrecy Adopted by Continental Congress | |
| 1776 | |||
| Jun | 7 | Lee’s Resolutions Introduced in Continental Congress | |
| Jun | 11 | Committee of Five formed by Continental Congress | |
| Jun | 28 | Draft Declaration of Independence submitted to Continental Congress | |
| Jul | 1 | Continental Congress debates Declaration of Independence | |
| Jul | 2 | Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain | |
| Jul | 4 | Continental Congress adopts the revised Declaration of Independence | |
| Jul | 6 | Pennsylvania Evening Post prints Declaration of Independence | |
| Jul | 8 | First public reading of Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia | |
| Jul | 9 | Declaration read to American army at Washington’s order | |
| Aug | 2 | British reinforcements arrive in New York | |
| Oct | 22 | Concord Town Resolution | |
| 1781 | |||
| Mar | 2 | Articles of Confederation adopted | |
| Oct | 19 | Articles of Capitulation (Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown) | |
| 1783 | |||
| Sep | 3 | Treaty of Paris (Ending Revolutionary War) | |
| 1785 | |||
| Mar | 28 | Mount Vernon Compact (Virginia and Maryland) | |
| 1786 | |||
| Sep | 14 | Annapolis Convention | |
| 1787 | |||
| Feb | 21 | Report on Proceedings of Confederation Congress | |
| Jul | 13 | Northwest Ordinance of 1787 enacted by Confederation Congress | |
| Sep | 17 | US Constitution signed at Constitutional Convention | |
| Dec | 7 | Delaware ratifies Constitution | |
| Dec | 12 | Pennsylvania ratifies Constitution | |
| Dec | 18 | New Jersey ratifies Constitution | |
| 1788 | |||
| Jan | 2 | Georgia ratifies Constitution | |
| Jan | 8 | Connecticut ratifies Constitution | |
| Feb | 6 | Massachusetts ratifies Constitution | |
| Apr | 28 | Maryland ratifies Constitution | |
| May | 23 | South Carolina ratifies Constitution | |
| Jun | 21 | Constitution adopted by New Hampshire* | |
| Jun | 26 | Virginia ratifies Constitution | |
| Jul | 2 | Resolution by Confederation Congress Submitting Ratification to a Committee | |
| Jul | 26 | New York ratifies Consitution | |
| 1789 | |||
| Mar | 4 | First Consitutional Congress convenes at Federal Hall, New York City | |
| Jun | 8 | Madison presents Bill of Rights to Congress | |
| Sep | 25 | Congress passes Bill of Rights (12 amendments) | |
| Nov | 20 | New Jersey Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Nov | 21 | North Carolina ratifies Constitution | |
| Dec | 19 | Maryland Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Dec | 22 | North Carolina Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| 1790 | |||
| Jan | 19 | South Carolina Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Jan | 25 | New Hampshire Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Jan | 28 | Delaware Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Feb | 27 | New York Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| Mar | 10 | Pennsylvania Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| May | 29 | Rhode Island ratifies Constituion | |
| Jun | 11 | Rhode Island Ratifies Bill of Rights | |
| 1791 | |||
| Nov | 3 | Vermont Ratifies Bill of Rights** | |
| Dec | 15 | Virginia Ratifies Bill of Rights; Bill of Rights goes into effect*** | |
| 1939 | |||
| Mar | 2 | Massachusetts Ratifies Bill of Rights**** | |
| Mar | 24 | Georgia Ratifies Bill of Rights**** | |
| Apr | 19 | Connecticut Ratifies Bill of Rights**** | |
| *Note: | Constitution went into effect after adoption by New Hampshire | ||
| **Note: | Vermont entered the Union March 4, 1791. | ||
| *** Note: | Bill of Rights ratified on this date. | ||
| **** Note: | Done as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of the Bill of Rights. | ||
Source: Library of Congress and the National Archives
Patriot Parchment 