A new study suggests George Washington could have been the first person to use the name 'United States of America', along with laying the foundation stones for the American republic.
According to The Christian Science Monitor, historians have long tried to pinpoint exactly when the name 'United States of America' was first used and by whom, and because Washington gave his name to the capital, it could be possible that he also gave the United States of America its name, with a letter written by Washington's aide-de camp also suggesting the same.
Online sources vary greatly, erroneously crediting Thomas Paine, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and others, as the founders, the report said.
The report added that previously, Thomas Jefferson was thought to be the originator of the term based on a header that he wrote in his Declaration of Independence document sometime after June 11, 1776.
During the Siege of Boston, Stephen Moylan wrote to Col. Joseph Reed that he wished to carry the full and ample powers from the 'United States of America' to Europe to support the revolutionary enterprise, the report further said.