Political Events
The declarations, resolutions, and new constitutions through which the American colonies broke from Britain and began governing themselves in 1776.
Every Political Events article in the 1776 knowledge base. Use the topic filters to narrow by sub-topic.
French Alliance & Diplomacy (1776–1778)
The Treaty of Alliance signed on February 6, 1778, formalized the political and military partners...
British Opposition to the War: Edmund Burke and Charles J...
In 1776, Whig politicians Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox emerged as leading opponents of the ...
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776
The Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, adopted on September 28, 1776, was the most radically demo...
Spanish Crown and Colonial Policy in 1776
Spain maintained vast American territories in 1776, pursuing a cautious imperial strategy while w...
The Founding of San Francisco
In the same year that the thirteen Atlantic colonies declared their independence, Spain extended ...
The Albany Plan of Union and Its 1776 Constitutional Legacy
The failed 1754 Albany Plan of Union—proposing colonial federation—influenced 1776 confederation ...
Staten Island Peace Conference
The Staten Island Peace Conference was a brief, informal negotiation held on September 11, 1776, ...
The Treaty of Watertown
Signed on July 19, 1776, just fifteen days after the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of W...
Articles of Confederation: America's First Constitution
On June 12, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed a thirteen-member committee to draft ...
Public Proclamation of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, was ...
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the foundational document by which the Second Continental Cong...
The New Jersey Constitution of 1776
The New Jersey Constitution of 1776 was the frame of government adopted by the Provincial Congres...
Lee Resolution
The Lee Resolution was the formal motion by which the Second Continental Congress declared the th...
The Virginia Constitution of 1776
Adopted by the Fifth Virginia Convention at Williamsburg on June 29, 1776 — five days before the ...
The Gaspée Incident Aftermath and 1776 Colonial Tensions
The 1772 Gaspée burning's unresolved legal aftermath fueled colonial grievances that accelerated ...
Virginia Declaration of Rights
The Virginia Declaration of Rights was adopted unanimously by Virginia's Fifth Revolutionary Conv...
John Dickinson and the Articles of Confederation: The Sov...
Drafted by John Dickinson for a committee appointed June 12, 1776, the Articles of Confederation ...
Religion and the American Revolution in 1776
Religious conviction and clerical authority shaped 1776 independence as profoundly as political t...
The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina adopted a declaration of independence on May 20, 1776, predati...
The Halifax Resolves
The Halifax Resolves were adopted unanimously on April 12, 1776, by North Carolina's Fourth Provi...
The New Hampshire Constitution of 1776
The New Hampshire Constitution of 1776, promulgated on January 5, 1776, was the first written con...
The British Empire in 1776: Global Reach and Colonies
In 1776, the British Empire stood at a critical juncture, controlling vast territories across mul...