On August 2, 1776, members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence, beginning the attempt to form a sovereign government for the United States. The Articles of Confederation laid out the first ratified format for a government. With instability rising from the new Articles, there began to be calls for a new Constitution. In response, the Constitutional Convention was called in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787 with George Washington as the president of the conference. This convention produced a document that guided the United States government.