| United States Historical Documents
In April of 1775, Paul Revere made his famous ride to warn that King
George had sent troops to arrest John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Armed
colonists met the British soldiers, and the American Revolution began.
A committee of five men were appointed to draft the Declaration of Independence:
Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin
of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut, and Robert R. Livingston
of New York. Thomas Jefferson did most of the actual writing. He worked
on the declaration during the last two weeks of June in 1776. Benjamin
Franklin made a few minor changes to the document.
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress took a vote and accepted
the resolution that the "United Colonies are, and right ought to be, free
and independent States." Two days later, the Declaration of Independence
was formally adopted. The next year, the Second Continental Congress adopted
the Articles of Confederation. This document called for a loose group
of separate states without any central government. The Articles of Con
worked fine during the war with England. But when the war came to an end,
the various states began to fight among themselves. The founding fathers--George
Washington, Ben Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and others--decided
to draw up a new document that would be stronger and more effective than
the Articles of Confederation. This new document was the Constitution
of the United States--a big collection of rules. It was written during
the Constitutional Convention in 1787 but it didn't go into effect until
1789. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights,
was added in 1791.
The wonder of the internet provides us with quick easy access to many
primary source historical documents. Not only can we read the full text,
but we can also see images of the original documents.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about historical
documents.
Places To Go | People To See | Things To Do | Teacher Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out
about architecture.
Constitution
Center
Visit the Constitution Center and learn about the Constitution's history
and the Constitution's relevance to our daily lives.
Library of Congress
: American Memory
Virtually visit the Library of Congress. There's not a better place for
historical documents. The library was created around 1800. Thomas Jefferson,
when he was vice-president, was instrumental in getting the
library established. He continued to support the library during his own
administration. In 1814, when much of the collection was destroyed by
fire, Jefferson offered his personal library to the Library of Congress.
As of 1999, the Library of Congress contained approximately 115 million
items, including about 17 million books, 4 million maps, and 50 million
manuscripts. This section, called American Memory, is a a collection of
documents and photographs relating to the "American experience".
The National Archives - Experience
This online exhibit takes the time to make connections between several thousand key documents that effected U.S. History.
America's Historical Documents
This website takes the reader through a walk of history. Readers can view copies of major speeches as well as background information about what made them so famous. Then you can read about world reactions and their effect on history.
Charters of Freedom: National Archives Online Exhibit
What documents help create the United States? Who wrote them? Who signed them? Take a look at these important documents in the National Archives.
Declaration of Independence
What day was the Declaration of Independence really written? Why is the original so hard to read. The answers are only a few clicks away as you look at the United States' most famous document in history.
Thomas Jefferson: Library of Congress Exhibition
The Library of Congress has copies of many of Jefferson's writings including drafts for the Declaration of Independence and the documents that helped prepare him to write that document.
The National Archives
The National Archives have a huge collection of documents, pictures, and other historical documents. They have arranged them into several interesting exhibits, some listed above. Take a few minutes to look through the many exhibits and other collections available.
People To See
Common
Sense
Meet Thomas Paine. He was an American political theorist and writer. He
emigrated to America in 1774 with letters of introduction from Benjamin
Franklin, who was then in England. He quickly became involved with the
conflict between the American colonies and England and published the pamphlet,
Common Sense, in January of 1776. This popular pamphlet argued that the
American colonies had outgrown any need for English domination and should
be given independence. The pamphlet begins with the words, "These are
the times that try men's souls".
George
Washington
Spend time with George Washington. Read his Farewell
Address of 1796.
James
Madison
Meet James Madison. He's the Father of the Constitution.
Signers
of the Declaration of Independence
Learn more about all the men who signed the Declaration of Independence.
Things To Do
Explore
The Amazing World of Early America Through the Media of the Day
Peruse newspapers from the 1700s, see a handwritten receipt for nine guns
and nine bayonets and belts signed by a Continental Army officer, read
original papers that were part of the Whiskey Rebellion, explore the Alien
and Sedition Acts of 1798, and more. It has a useful section, How
To Read A 200-Year-Old Document and Other FAQ's, which gives tips on
reading old papers. For example, it will help you understand why an "f"
is frequently used in writing where there should be an "s".
The
Declaration of Independence
Read the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. It's the
famous one. What are the three unalienable rights that are mentioned?
Take a look at the original
document.
Articles
of Confederation
Read the Articles of Confederation from 1781. They were the precurser
to the Constitution which was ratified in 1789.
The
Constitution of the United States of America
Memorize the preamble to the Constitution. It is only one sentence long.
The
Bill of Rights
Review the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the Constitution. They
were added about two years after the signing of the Constitution to ensure
sufficient guarantees of individual liberties. Here is an image of the original document. Since the Bill of Rights, there
have been 17 additional
amendments to the Constitution.
The
Federalists Papers
Learn about the Federalists
Papers. They were first published on October 27, 1787 in the New York
newspapers to defend and promote the ratification of the new Constitution.
The Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
under the pen name “Publius.” A total of 85 papers were published
between 1787 and 1788. These papers are still considered a classic work
of political theory.
National
Archives and Records Administration
The purpose of this agency is to ensure ready access to essential evidence
that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal
officials, and the national experience.
American
Originals
"Original documents are the raw stuff of history. They are physical links
to the past. The original documents of the United States government--those
that have been identified as having permanent value--are preserved and
made available to the public by the National Archives. This online exhibit
is based on one currently on display in the Rotunda of the National Archives
Building in Washington, DC. American Originals presents a selection of
some of the most significant and compelling documents from the National
Archives holdings." From this site, see the original Louisiana Purchase,
an 1868 treaty with the Sioux Indians that recognizes the Black Hills
of Dakota as part of the Great Sioux Reservation, the official statement
of the U.S. government where it announces recognition of the State of
Israel on May 14, 1948, and many more.
The University
of Oklahoma Law Center : A Chronology of US Historical Documents
Access many historical documents from this great site. You can see a letter
from Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain, read the Mayflower
Compact, browse through the Monroe Doctrine, and more.
The
Avalon Project at the Yale Law School : Documents in Law, History and
Diplomacy
Read the constitutions of the original thirteen colonies, the Treaty of
Versailles of 1919 which was one of five peace treaties and ended WWI,
the text of the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, and many other historical
documents from this comprehensive site. You can browse through lists of
documents or search by keyword.
Louisiana
Purchase
Read the text of the Louisiana Purchase. In 1803, the United States bought
about 800,000 square miles of land from the Mississippi River in the east
to the Rocky Mountains in the west and from the Gulf of Mexico in the
south to the border of what is now Canada in the north. The U.S. bought
this land from France. It cost 60 million francs which was about 15 million
dollars. Find out more about the sale of the land.
Presidents
Read the inaugural speeches of the Presidents of the United States.
Founding.Com : A User's
Guide to the Declaration of Independence
Find teachers's guides and classroom activities to use with this historical
document.The Declaration of Independence is divided into the preamble
and the second and third sections. The preamble contains the words "all
men are created equal." The second section lists the 28 grievances against
King George III. The third section is the resolution for independence
proposed by delegate Richard Henry Lee, which begins, "That these United
Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States."
AMDOCS:
Documents for the Study of American History
Check out this large index of links to sites featuring important historical
documents in American History from the 15th Century to the present.
Teacher Resources
Online activities are a listing of internet
sites with fun, interesting, and educational tasks attached to each one.
(You can learn how to use this WWW
Activities tool created by UEN for Utah educators).
Lesson Plans/Webquests
Bibliography
- Bradbury, Pamela. Men of the Constitution. New York : Julian Messner,
c1987.
- Brenner, Barbara. If You Were There in 1776. New York : Bradbury Press
; Toronto : Maxwell Macmillan Canada ; New York : Maxwell Macmillan
International, c1994.
- Cobblestone Magazine. Celebrating Our Constitution. Peterborough,
N.H. : Cobblestone Pub., 1985.
- Jenkins, Stephen. The Bill of Rights and You. St. Paul : West Pub.
Co., c1990.
- Nardo, Don. The Declaration of Independence : A Model for Individual
Rights. San Diego, CA : Lucent Books, c1999.
- Stein, R. Conrad. The Declaration of Independence. Chicago : Children
Press, 1995.
- Wilson, Jon. The Declaration of Independence : Foundation for America.
Chanhassen, MN : Child's World, c1999.
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