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America's
Documents
Declaration of
Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted
by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced
that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain
were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the
British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the
Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on
July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year
after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday
of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on
July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by
Congress.
After finalizing the text on July 4, Congress issued the Declaration
of Independence in several forms. It was initially published as a
printed broadside that was widely distributed and read to the
public. The most famous version of the Declaration, a signed copy
that is usually regarded as the Declaration of Independence, is on
display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Although the
wording of the Declaration was approved on July 4, the date of its
actual signing is disputed by historians, most accepting a theory
that it was signed nearly a month after its adoption, on August 2,
1776, and not on July 4 as is commonly believed.
To view
the Declaration of Independence...CLICK
HERE
Bill of Rights
In the United States of
America, the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first
ten
amendments to the
United States Constitution are
known.
They were introduced by
James Madison to the
First United States Congress in
1789 as a series of articles, and came into effect on December 15,
1791, when they had been
ratified by three-fourths of the States.
Thomas Jefferson was a proponent of
the Bill of Rights.
To view the Bill of Rights...CLICK
HERE
Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States of America is the supreme law
of the United States. It is the foundation and source of the legal
authority underlying the existence of the United States of America
and the federal government of the United States. It provides the
framework for the organization of the United States government and
for the relationship of the federal government to the states, to
citizens, and to all people within the United States.
The Constitution defines the three main branches of government: a
legislature, the bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the
President; and a judicial branch headed by the Supreme Court. The
Constitution specifies the powers and duties of each branch. The
Constitution reserves all unenumerated powers for the respective
states and the people, thereby establishing the federal system of
government.
The United States Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787,
by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and
ratified by conventions in each U.S. state in the name of "The
People". The Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times; the
first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
The United States Constitution is the
shortest and oldest written constitution still in use by any nation
in the world today.
The Constitution has a central place in United States law and
political culture. The handwritten original document penned by Jacob
Shallus is on display at the National Archives and Records
Administration in Washington, D.C.
To view
the Constitution...CLICK
HERE
Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles advocating the
ratification of the United States Constitution. Seventy-seven of the
essays were published serially in The Independent Journal and The
New York Packet between October 1787 and August 1788. A compilation
of these and eight others, called The Federalist; or, The New
Constitution, was published in two volumes in 1788 by J. and A.
McLean. The Federalist remains a primary source for interpretation
of the U.S. Constitution, as the essays outline a lucid and
compelling version of the philosophy and motivation of the proposed
system of government
To view the Federalist Papers
CLICK HERE
To view or
download a high resolution copy of the above documetns go to this
link.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters.html
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