Important Documents

Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter Thomas Jefferson was a man of deep religious conviction — his conviction was that religion was a very personal matter, one which the government had no business getting involved in. He was vilified by his political opponents for his role in the passage of...

Richard Henry Lee’s Independence Resolution In the spring and early summer of 1776, war with Britain looked more and more likely. There had already been battles, but many of the leaders of the colonies felt that reconciliation with the Crown was still possible. But things deteriorated rapidly....

The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence More images

The Emancipation Proclamation – Page 1 The Emancipation Proclamation, Page 1 More images

The Emancipation Proclamation – Page 2 The Emancipation Proclamation, Page 2 More images

The Gettysburg Address For three days in July 1863, Union and Confederate forces fought fierce battles at and near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union turned back one of the last major thrusts of the Confederate troops toward the North. Many consider it the turning point in the war; after...

The Report of the Hartford Convention As Britain and France battled each other in the early 1800’s, enterprising Americans wanted to take advantage of the war by transporting goods for both sides, across each nation’s blockade lines. The violation of the lines angered both governments, but...

Speech of Benjamin Franklin Advertisement Monday, September 17, 1787, was the last day of the Constitutional Convention. Pennsylvania delegate Benjamin Franklin, one of the few Americans of the time with international repute, wanted to give a short speech to the Convention prior to the signing of...

Benjamin Franklin’s Articles of Confederation Benjamin Franklin had long been a proponent of self-government and independence for the colonies of North America. In 1754, he had penned The Albany Plan for uniting the colonies, but the rest of the people were not ready at the time. He waited. The...

The Fugitive Slave Act Advertisement The Compromise of 1850 was introduced to stave off conflict between the slave states and the free states upon the admission of California as a state. Under the Compromise, California was admitted as a free state, New Mexico and Utah were organized as slave...

The I Have a Dream Speech Advertisement In 1950’s America, the equality of man envisioned by the Declaration of Independence was far from a reality. People of color — blacks, Hispanics, Asians — were discriminated against in many ways, both overt and covert. The 1950’s were a turbulent time...

The Emancipation Proclamation During the course of the Civil War, Lincoln had wanted to declare all slaves free. He waited, however, until the Union forces had some decisive victories over the Rebels; no doubt his holding off was to prevent giving the South a rallying point until one would have no...

The American’s Creed The American’s Creed was written in 1917 by William Tyler Page, an employee in the House. The Creed was one of 3000 entries in a contest sponsored by the New York Commissioner of Education. In 1919, Page was elected Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. When the...

Constitution of the Confederate States of America Advertisement The following is the complete text of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America, as adopted on March 11, 1861. The text of the CSA Constitution was verified at the University of Oklahoma and the Library of Congress and was...

The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence Topic Page may be of some interest to readers. Demographic data about the Signers is also available. An image of the Declaration is available . Introduction Crimes of the King Conclusion Signatories In Congress, July 4, 1776 The...

August 6 Draft of the Constitution Advertisement On Tuesday, July 24, 1787, the Constitutional Convention appointed members to the Committee of Detail . The Committee was tasked with taking all of the points debated by the Convention up to that point and constructing a document that could be used...

September 12 Draft of the Constitution Advertisement On Saturday, September 8, 1787, the Constitutional Convention appointed members to the Committee of Style and Arrangement . The Committee was tasked with taking the August 6 draft and editing it to include all points decided by the Convention,...

Constitution of the People’s Republic of China Advertisement The following is the complete text of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, as adopted on December 4, 1982. The electronic text was acquired from the The Wiretap Electronic Text Archive and was marked up for Web display...

The Boston Port Act Advertisement In 1773, the British Parliament passed the Tea Act, which allowed the British East India Company to sell tea in America without any duty. The act was partially passed because the East India Company’s imports of tea into America had declined sharply during the...

The Administration of Justice Act

Advertisement Worried by the courts that convened in America and in Massachusetts in particular, and their bias toward the colonists over their British governors, on May 20, 1774, the Parliament passed the Administration of Justice Act. It provided that the governor of Massachusetts had the...