The United States of America was established in 1776.
Said by Congressman Josh Brecheen, Checked Updated
- Sources
- 5 support3 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 85%
The Michael Berry ShowAug 18, 2026
The sources consistently date the founding of the United States to 1776, with the Declaration of Independence adopted on July 4 and the 1776 Report calling the nation's birthday July 4, 1776. The claim's year matches the extraction, which the passage itself states.
What was said
… In 1776, two great tracts were written: one, of course, the Declaration of Independence; the other, The Wealth of Nations. And you had, in that important year, the creation of the United States as a standalone business, a standalone entity politically. We didn't have a constitution yet. We had not created the government that we had; that was over a decade later. But there was the understanding that we were not going to be a monarchy. We were not going to be a colony of the English Empire. …
The Michael Berry Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. BBC Bitesize states the United States was officially founded on 4 July 1776, when Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.[2]
Supports. The 1776 Report, a primary government document, states there was no United States of America before July 4, 1776, and identifies that date as the nation's birthday.[1]
Supports. Colonial Williamsburg and Wikipedia both describe the Continental Congress's 1776 declaration as creating an independent nation, and Carlyle notes 1776 as the conventional founding year.[3][4][5]
Context. An OUPblog essay argues the nation was not truly created until the Constitution in 1787, so the 1776 date reflects the declaration of independence rather than a fully formed government.[6]
Context. Sources also note the name 'United States' was formally adopted on September 9, 1776, which is also within the claimed year.[7][8]
Sources
8 sources: 1 primary, 1 tier 1, 6 not rated
- 1The 1776 Report (PDF)ed.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 2What are the 50 US states and can you name them all? - BBC Bitesizebbc.co.uk · tier 1 · cited for: supports
- 31776 - Colonial Williamsburgcolonialwilliamsburg.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4History of the United States (1776–1789) - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5How one date came to define a nation - Carlylecarlyle.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 61776, the First Founding, and America's past in the present | OUPblogblog.oup.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 7How the United States of America Got Its Namesmithsonianmag.com · not rated · cited for: context
- 8The United States got its name in Philadelphia's Independence Hallinquirer.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
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