United States Named: Congress Makes It Official
The Continental Congress formally adopted the name "United States of America" on September 9, 1776, replacing "United Colonies" in official documents. The change was more than symbolic: it asserted that the former colonies were now independent, sovereign states united under a common purpose. The name had appeared in the Declaration of Independence on July 4, but the September 9 resolution made it the official designation for all government business. The "united" in the name was initially lowercase, reflecting that many Americans thought of themselves as citizens of their individual states first. Whether the United States "is" or "are" remained a grammatical debate until the Civil War settled the question of national unity by force.
September 9, 1776
250 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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