American Documents

The Declaration of Independence was penned in 1776 by a young thirty-three year-old Thomas Jefferson. After disputes with King George III and skirmishes with British troops, delegates were chosen by the colonies and sent to Philadelphia in 1775 to chart their path forward.

The men assembled pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to one another and the cause of liberty. Upon adoption, fifty-six individuals from across the colonies signed their name to the 27 grievances they had with King George III.

Never before had anyone written down the words that are now cornerstones of our way of life: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." The grievances listed here would later cement our freedoms that would be enshrined in our US Constitution. 

To learn more about the Declaration of Independence, to read the text, and to even shop for merchandise from the National Archives in our nation's capital in Washington DC, please click on the picture of the Declaration to the right.

Fun fact: Only twenty-six copies of the original 200 printed remain today.

The Constitution is the founding document for our nation that lays out the system and framework of government in the United States. Seven Articles, the Bill of Rights, and a total of 27 Amendments protects the people of our nation from an intrusive and powerful federal government.

Adopted in September of 1787, the Constitution replaced a much weaker Articles of Confederation that had held the fledgling nation together for under a decade. Recognizing the need for unity and a government that tied the states together, delegates gathered to first strengthen and then ultimately replace the Articles of Confederation.

James Madison, later our nation's fourth President, is considered the "Father of the Constitution" and was instrumental in drafting the text we read today along with securing passage among the states.

If you click on the picture of the US Constitution, you will be whisked away to the National Archives where you can explore the text, the Bill of Rights, the other Amendments, and a fascinating history of our most important and sacred document. 

The Federalist Papers are included here because these writings are penned from Founding Fathers James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. They were published primarily in New York publications between October of 1787 and May of 1788, urging adoption and ratification of the newly written Constitution.

The authors are well respected among the Founders with Madison serving two terms as the fourth President, Hamilton serving as the the first Secretary of the Treasury, working to establish the economic policies and trade system after the Revolutionary War, and John Jay who was a politician of this time frame, a leader for foreign policy after the Revolutionary War, and the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. 

The 85 essays of the Federalist papers contain a variety of topics including the dangers of foreign influence, revenue and taxation, trials by jury, the branches of government, as well as pointing to the need for the new Constitution by demonstrating the weakness in the Articles of Confederation.

The link below the picture to your right takes you to the Library of Congress where you will learn more about the Federalist Papers, you may search by topics, by number, and also included are the dates of publication and which paper they were published in. 

When George Washington was elected President of the United States in 1788, nobody knew what a President was. His election was unique in several ways when compared to today's contests. His election lasted several weeks in December of 1788 and into the new year of 1789. He was elected unanimously by the Electoral College, and his election included slates of electors chosen by the legislatures rather than by national popular vote.

President Washington knew his time as President would not only include the duties of running the new country, but also everything he did would set precedent. People looked to him to see how a President would behave, how he would use his power, and if he would stay President for life like many wanted.

Instead of holding onto power, Washington had considered leaving after one term. He was persuaded to stay for a second term, and then respectfully handed over the awesome authority of the Presidency after the election of 1796 and inauguration of John Adams as the second President.

In this Farewell Address to his fellow countrymen, Washington used this as an opportunity to warn about the dangers of political parties, to encourage neutrality in conflicts between foreign nations, and unity here at home with regards to stability in the new country. He explained his desire to only have two terms, and he looked forward to retiring to Mount Vernon, just south of Washington DC.

The link here takes you to the Mount Vernon website where you will learn more about this amazing transfer of power and lesson in citizenship.

At Fort McHenry, just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, the Americans that had fought against the British in the War of 1812 and were captured, were held on ships. Francis Scott Key had been commissioned to negotiate of the release of these prisoners of war. After reaching an agreement for release, Key told the men in the ships lower level that they would soon be free men.

After that agreement had been reached, the British decided to go ahead with bombardment of the Fort where many non military individuals were living, including women and children. As ships got closer, ships of the British war fleet lobbed bomb after bomb, gun fire after another.

Key watched helplessly as the firing continued. They watched from the ship as the ships shot towards the flag and to hit not just the Fort, but the spirit of the Fort, the stars and stripes. Ships reported that they had hit the flag, yet it would not fall. The next morning, Key saw the flag, ripped apart from the shelling, yet the flag stood still, leaning amongst the bodies of the fallen.

As the flag had fallen after the firing of munitions, another American would grab the flag and hoist it again. After witnessing this sight and the resilience and dedication to the flag and cause for liberty, Francis Scott Key penned the song we now know as our National Anthem, adopted as the Anthem on March 3, 1931.

The Civil War (1861-1865) took a heavy toll on the nation, ripping families apart, keeping President Lincoln from finding any solace, forced to simply watch as brother fought against brother, father against son. In the fight to preserve the Union, Lincoln saw light after the Battle of Gettysburg, a rural area just north of Washington DC and west of Philadelphia.

July of 1863 found rural Pennsylvania ripped apart by fighting between the Union Army of General Meade and General Robert E. Lee of the Army of Northern Virginia. The highest level of casualties, nearly 50,000 combined troops bloodied the ground in what would be the turning point of the war.

Just over four months later, President Lincoln travelled to Gettysburg and delivered a 271 word address on November 19, 1863. Lincoln doubted that many would remember this speech where he spoke of a new birth of the nation consecrated by those who shall not have died in vain, and that this "government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

My personal favorite line is "the last full measure of devotion" for these words sum up the sacrifice given, not just by the soldiers, but the families, the nation who lost a generation of young men, and even perhaps Lincoln himself and the toll the Civil War took on his own life and family.

Clicking on the Gettysburg Address will bring the words of our sixteenth president to life as he recalls the "unfinished work" that even a hundred and sixty years later remains undone.

This is a long overdue lesson in American History, a lesson known by few people. Sixteenth President Abraham Lincoln had spent his entire first term prosecuting the Civil War and was nearing victory. He won re-election in 1864 by a huge electoral college win of 212 to 21, by about 400,000 popular votes, and 55% of the votes.

As he neared victory, Lincoln wanted his second inaugural address to be one of a unifying message. He felt that there was blame to go around between both the North and the South, and he wanted to reconcile, and heal a torn nation. At Gettysburg, Lincoln spoke of the losses on both sides and considered both sides in his post war plans.

There were some hardliners who only wanted to punish the South. Lincoln, however, wanted to rededicate our Founding principles to a rebirth. He joined Republicans and Democrats to form a National Union Party swept the election with his eyes on the effort of rebuilding.

In his address, he set to chart the course in which to bring the reunification to successful implementation. Lincoln declared "With malice toward non with charity for all" as he looked to heal our country's wounds and seek peace. You may learn more by clicking on the picture

The 1960s were a turbulent time in American History. The Civil Rights Movement had intersected with a new medium of communication, the television and was broadcast into the homes of millions of Americans. They saw the dogs and water hoses used on black Americans.

November of 1963 brought the brutal assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas Texas as he ramped up his re-election campaign. Kennedy had been sympathetic to the Civil Rights Movement, however had not seen legislation make much headway. After Vice President Lyndon Johnson took over, he committed to seeing Kennedy's programs through to success.

In 1965, after much negotiation, politicking, threats and posturing, the Civil Rights legislation was passed and signed by President Johnson. The Civil Rights Movement was now a nationwide effort by politicians, students, activists, ministers, and many other members. From marches to sit-ins, demonstrations led to change, greater rights, and hope for a whole segment of Americans.

By clicking on the picture, you will find the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Here you can learn about the legislation that took nearly a hundred years after the end of the Civil War to find support. More about the Civil Rights Movement can also be found in Themes of Our History in US Today.

The right to vote is a part of who we are as Americans. From the Revolutionary War and through the many fights for suffrage (the right to vote) participation in elections is woven into the fabric of the history of the United States. 

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to reconcile all of the issues with voting into one transformative piece of legislation. Nearly sixty years later there is still work that remains. Falling on the heels of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this legislation broke through barriers to voting and brought about monumental change to the political and electoral landscape.

Clicking on the picture to the right will bring the Voting Rights Act to life with the very words that franchised a whole segment of the nation who had been barred from the vote.