As the United States celebrates its semiquincentennial, popular memory naturally turns toward the triumphant moments in the Revolutionary War—moments like George Washington crossing the Delaware, the British surrender at Saratoga, and the decisive victory at Yorktown. Yet some of the greatest chapters in the story of America are not the Patriots’ victories, but the survival of their fragile experiment in the dark autumns of the late 1770s.
The National Pulse publishes original work on the history and culture of the West, as well as politics and current affairs. If you value it, please JOIN THE NATIONAL PULSE or MAKE A DONATION today. We are 100% reader-funded. Yesterday, for instance, was the anniversary of some of the lowest moments of the Revolution in 1776 and 1777, marked by crises of faith and governance. One saw Washington in despair, the other saw the physical eviction of the Continental Congress from its capital. Yet these low moments became the catalysts that forced a fractured alliance of thirteen colonies to organize their fledgling country under its very first constitution. September 30, 1776: Washington Hits Rock Bottom. By the final day of September 1776,…Open
What was the outcome of the congressional deliberations in York, and when was the resulting document adopted?
After compromising on issues of state sovereignty, representation, and war powers, the Congress officially adopted the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union on November 15, 1777, less than two months after arriving in York.
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What factors motivated the delegates in York, Pennsylvania, to move toward adopting a national constitution rather than remaining a loose association of states?
The delegates realized a loose association could not survive a war against a global empire and needed a legitimate, legally recognized government to secure foreign alliances, specifically with France, as European powers would not sign treaties or lend money to a committee of politicians in hiding.
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Where did the Continental Congress reassemble after fleeing Philadelphia on September 30, 1777?
After crossing the Susquehanna River, the fugitive delegates reassembled in the small frontier town of York, Pennsylvania, where they met in a modest brick courthouse and declared York to be the temporary capital of the United States.
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Why were the delegates of the Continental Congress forced to flee Philadelphia on September 30, 1777?
Following a crushing victory for the British Army at the Battle of Brandywine, General William Howe outmaneuvered Washington and marched into Philadelphia, causing the capital to fall and forcing the delegates to flee in the night.
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What did George Washington express in his private letter to his cousin, Lund Washington, on September 30, 1776?
Washington confessed he was in an unhappy and divided state, stating he was "wearied to death all day with a variety of perplexing circumstances." He expressed fear that his reputation would be ruined because of an army unable to stand its ground, noting that if he failed to satisfy public expectation, he would become a scapegoat.
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What were the specific military circumstances facing General George Washington by the end of September 1776?
By the final day of September 1776, the Continental Army was in a state of disorganized and demoralized retreat after the British had defeated them at Long Island and seized Manhattan. The militia forces were panicking at the sight of the redcoats, supplies were nearly exhausted, and the army was on the verge of melting away as winter approached.
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