Two of the most important decisions made by the United States Continental Congress were the decision to declare the 13 Colonies independent of England and the decision to form a confederation of states. Both decisions resulted in the creation of two of the most well-known and studied documents in U.S. history: the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, which were, in effect, the first version of the U.S. Constitution. The Articles of Confederation were not fully ratified by all 13 states until more than 3 years after their initial drafting in November of 1777.
