While George Washington’s Army shivered in Valley Forge during the winter of 1777-1778, the Continental Congress fled from Philadelphia and the advancing British army, to the frontier village of York Town, placing the mile-wide Susquehanna River between the Congress and the Red Coats.

For nine months, the founding fathers – having declared the colonies’ independence from Great Britain – resided in York Town, a small village filled with German-speaking farmers. It was in this rural town that the Continental Congress struggled with many of the issues that are current today, such as State vs. Federal rights, individual freedoms, and taxes.

On November 15, 1777, Congress adopted its first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, in the York County Courthouse. The Articles, the first document to bind the 13 original colonies as the United States of America, established a legal system that bridged the gap from the Declaration of Independence to the adoption of the Constitution nearly 10 years later. (click HERE to read the articles, or HERE to read a synopsis of them)

The adoption of the Articles of Confederation was an historic event in the life of the newly emerging United States. A yearlong series of events is scheduled in York Town, now know as York in southcentral PA, to observe the 225th anniversary of the adoption of the Articles of Confederation. The events will instill pride and educate all Americans about the importance of the Articles of Confederation.