United States: Polity Style: 1781-2025

2 Jul 1776	a resolution in favour of independence of the British colonies in North America is passed by the Continental Congress, session of the Congress, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Journals of the Continental Congress, 5:506-507)
4 Jul 1776	the British colonies represented in the Continental Congress are proclaimed "free and independent states" in accordance with a declaration approved by the Congress on 4 Jul 1776, session of the Congress, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Journals of the Continental Congress, 5:510-515) [1]
15 Nov 1777	the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union are adopted by the Continental Congress, session of the Congress, York, Pennsylvania (Journals of the Continental Congress, 9:907)
9 Jul 1778	the engrossed copy of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union is signed and ratified by the delegates of eight states in the Continental Congress—New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina—at the session of the Congress held on 9 Jul 1778 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Journals of the Continental Congress, 11:677)
1 Mar 1781	the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia constituted a confederacy under the name of the United States of America in accordance with the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (effective upon the completion of the ratification on 1 Mar 1781) (Journals of the Continental Congress, 9:907-925, 19:213-223) [2]
1 Mar 1781 -	United States of America

The Declaration of Independence was approved by the representatives of Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. The delegates of New York abstained from voting, pending the receipt of instructions from the Provincial Congress. Both "United Colonies" and "United States of America" were used as terms of reference in the declaration. A resolution of the Continental Congress of 9 Sep 1776 provided for the replacement of "United Colonies" with "United States" in all commissions and other instruments emanating from the Congress (Journals of the Continental Congress, 5:747).
After the first eight states ratified the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union on 9 Jul 1778, the process of ratification continued as delegates applied their signatures upon receiving authorization from their respective states: North Carolina (21 Jul 1778), Georgia (24 Jul 1778), New Jersey (26 Nov 1778), Delaware (5 May 1779), and Maryland (1 Mar 1781). With the signing by the delegates of the thirteenth state—Maryland—at the session of Congress on 1 Mar 1781, the ratification was completed and the Articles formally entered into effect.