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Massachusetts State Seal
Commonwealth Museum   Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin
Commonwealth Museum Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin

Virtual Tour Detail

States United

A New Nation

On July 2, 1776, Congress declared the thirteen colonies to be "free and independent states," and on July 4 Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence.

America's First Treaty

Fifteen days after the Declaration of Independence a delegation of Maine's Mi'kmaq Indians arrived in Watertown to negotiate a Treaty of Alliance and Friendship. At General Washington's recommendation Massachusetts negotiated for the new United States. Although not formally ratified, this "agreement in principle" was the nation's first treaty.