 Ellsworth took an active part in the proceedings beginning on June 20, when he proposed the use of "the United States" to identify the government under the authority of the Constitution.The words "United States" had already been used in the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation as well as Thomas Paine's "The American Crisis".It was Ellsworth's proposal to retain the earlier wording to sustain the emphasis on a federation rather than a single national entity.