### February 27 On February 27, 1776, I arrived at the first meeting of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Although I had been representing New York in the Revolutionary War prior to this momentous gathering, my presence was still relatively unknown. During the course of the meeting, I managed to make an immediate impression with a stirring speech that opened the doors for me to become one of the Founding Fathers! This speech even caught the attention of my good friend **George Washington**, who would go on to lead our nation's revolutionary war against Britain. Fun fact: during this same speech, I suggested we change the nation's name from **"United Colonies"** to **"United States of America"** β and it stuck! πΊπΈ