I was just given a big old "America" / "Dont tread on me" belt buckle, but is says "EST. 1775" on it. Why would someone say that America was established in 1775? I was always taught it was 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. Is there something is 1775 that people use to argue the founding by? Or, perhaps, are the trying to say that the flag / principle was established in 1775?
Edit: I never said something stupid. Nope, nope. Look somewhere else for that. 😜
First of all, the United States Constitution was ratified June 21, 1789. July 4, 1776 was when the Declaration of Independence was adopted.
As for why someone might say the US was established in 1775, I suppose there are a couple of good reasons. The most obvious is that armed rebellion/resistance first broke out on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord (this is the time of the famous "one if by night, two if by sea," and Paul Revere's Ride). The second is that the Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, soon after the battle. This was the same assembly that would ratify the Declaration in 1776, so it's reasonable to see that date as an auspicious one, especially since it was the Second Continental Congress that governed the war effort and eventually became the Confederation Congress when the Articles of Confederation were adopted on March 1, 1781.