Valley Girl Views: York PA - Where The United States Of America Was Born

Did you know that the birthplace of The United States Or America was not Philadelphia, but rather York? Of course Philadelphia has many claims to our nations origins as well, but the phrase "The United States of America" was first used in York Pa, and it was also in York that the Articles of Confederation, our original constitution, were adopted.

It was also in the city of York that the first national day of Thanksgiving was proclaimed, and the French Treaty of Alliance was signed.

How did this all occur in York, and not Philadelphia?
On September 26 1777, the British troops marched into Philadelphia and occupied the city. The Second Continental Congress, who was meeting at what is now called Independence Hall, had heard the British were coming, and had fled days before. They met briefly in Lancaster, and then crossed the river to convene in York until the British troops left Philadelphia in June of 1778.

""[The Continental Congress is] pushed out of Philadelphia in late September," explained Daniel Roe, vice president of interpretation for the York County Heritage Trust. "They originally head to Lancaster, Pa. They find the state assembly of Pennsylvania is meeting in Lancaster, so they're using a lot of the facilities, courthouses and lodgings. And they see the Susquehanna River as a nice barrier between congress and the British army in Philadelphia. York is really one of the last outposts before they have to start going farther south."

At the time, York was "basically a sleepy farming community" composed mainly of German settlers, Roe said. Congress positioned itself in the York courthouse. Even as they struggled to maintain a quorum between delegates' terms coming to an end, there still weren't enough seats for the entire group.

"So German residents are bringing spare benches and tables from their homes just to help these guys out," Roe said. And while the records of the time indicate that a few of the local residents may have engaged in a bit of price gouging for the desperate delegates' housing costs, there was a general sense of support for the Revolutionary cause." https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2015/11/york_pa_first_thanksgiving_usa.html

On November 15, 1777, while in York PA, Congress passed the Articles of Confederation. They were sent on to the states to be ratified, and that was not completed until 1781, but Congress did in fact complete, and pass them, after nearly a year of debate, while in the city of York.

The First Proclamation Of A Day Of Thanksgiving

In early October of 1777, the British forces were defeated at the Battle of Saratoga. This was considered to be a major turning point in favor of the American cause, and congress was eager to celebrate the good news. On October 31, they drafted a resolution for a National Day Of Thanksgiving to be celebrated on December 18th.

While the day may not have been the turkey feast we now think of as Thanksgiving, iwas the first prolamation of a day of Thanksgiving - as a day to thank God, be thankful for the victory at Saratoga, and to think about this new country, the United States Of America. It wasn't until 1868 that Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be held each November.