(Absolute) Freedom of Speech and Press
“From each according to his ability…”
Impeachment means removal from office
Innocent until proven guilty
“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
No taxation without representation
Number of Justices in the Supreme Court
“Of the people, by the people, for the people”
Qualifications for Judges
The separation of church and state
The Separation of Powers Clause
“We hold these truths to be self-evident”
These links go to longer explanations at the original source.
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
Declaration of Rights (1765)
The Boston Port Act (1774)
The Administration of Justice Act (1774)
The Massacusetts Government Act (1774)
The Quartering Act (1774)
Declaration of Rights and Grievances (1774)
Articles of Association (1774)
Benjamin Franklin’s Articles of Confederation (1775)
Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
Richard Henry Lee’s Independence Resolution (1776)
Declaration of Independence (1776)
Articles of Confederation (1778)
The Treaty of Paris (1783)
Report of the Annapolis Conference (1786)
Charles Pinckney’s Plan (1787)
The New Jersey Plan (1787)
August 6 Draft of the Constitution (1787)
September 12 Draft of the Constitution (1787)
Speech of Benjamin Franklin (1787)
The United States Constitution (1787)
The Letter of Transmittal (1787)
Washington’s Letter to Congress (1787)
Wilson’s 4th of July Address (1788)
Madison Introduces the Bill of Rights (1789)
Twelve Articles of Amendment (1789)
Treaty Between the United States and Tripoli (1797)
Jefferson’s Wall of Separation Letter (1802)
The Star-Spangled Banner (1814)
The Report of the Hartford Convention (1815)
Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
Confederate Constitution (1861)
Gettysburg Address (1863)
Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
The Pledge of Allegiance (1892)
The American’s Creed (1917)
The I Have a Dream Speech (1963)
The Miranda Warning (1966)
Barack Obama’s Keynote Speech (2004)
Virginia Joint Resolution 728 (2007)
The ratification documents of each of the original 13 states (plus Vermont) are also reproduced here:
Delaware, December 7, 1787
Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787
New Jersey, December 18, 1787
Connecticut, January 9, 1788
Massachusetts, February 6, 1788
South Carolina, May 23, 1788
New Hampshire, June 21, 1788
North Carolina, November 21, 1789
Rhode Island, May 29, 1790
Vermont, January 10, 1791
A list of current versions of each state’s constitution is available:
The following significant historical documents, not hosted on this site, may be of interest:
Madison’s Notes on the Convention
The Papers of George Washington
The Papers of James Madison
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
Other Significant Documents of the 18th century
The following resources are also available for research into historical American documents:
Library of Congress’s American Memory
Our Documents - 100 great American documents
Matthew Weiler’s U.S. Historical Documents Archive
University of Groningen (Netherlands)
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