Articles of Confederation Adopted

Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation at the York County Courthouse, creating the first formal framework for governing the United States. The Articles had been debated for more than a year, with disputes over western land claims, representation, and taxation delaying agreement. The document created a confederacy of sovereign states with a weak central government — Congress could declare war and negotiate treaties but could not tax or regulate commerce.

The Articles would not be fully ratified by all thirteen states until 1781, but their adoption in York was a critical step. In the middle of a military crisis, with the army freezing at Valley Forge, Congress managed to agree on the basic structure of self-governance. The document's weaknesses would become apparent, but it held the union together through the war.