On September 9, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution directing that, in Continental commissions and other official instruments, the term “United Colonies” be replaced with “the United States.” The measure followed the Declaration of Independence of July 4 and reflected the former colonies’ claim that they were no longer British dependencies but independent states acting together.
Although “United States” and “United States of America” had appeared earlier in revolutionary language, including the Declaration of Independence, the September 9 action standardized “United States” as the official style for documents issued by Continental authority. It was an important administrative and symbolic step in the formation of an American national identity.
The action did not itself create a permanent federal government, establish a national executive, or require all state institutions to use identical terminology. The Continental Congress remained the wartime, de facto central authority, while the Articles of Confederation did not take effect until 1781.
Image: Independence Hall in Philadelphia, c. late 1700s, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
