The Documents of Freedom

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

The Documents of Freedom Documents of F r e e d o m THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION THE U.S. CONSTITUTION THE BILL OF RIGHTS AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM THE AMERICAN’S CREED This electronic book is available for free download and printing from www.homeofheroes.com. You may print and distribute in quantity for all non-profit, educational purposes. Copyright © 2018 by Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TABLE OF CONTENTS Mayflower Compact ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 The Declaration of Independence .......................................................................................................................................................................... 2 The Declaration Of Independence - Text .............................................................................................................................................................. 3 Declaration of Independence - Signers ................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Articles of Confederation ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 7 Text of The Articles of Confederation ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Preamble ................................................................................................................................................................ 8 Article I. – Name of Confederacy ............................................................................................................................ 8 Article II. – Sovereignty of States ............................................................................................................................ 8 Article III. – General Welfare .................................................................................................................................. 8 Article IV. – Administration of Justice ..................................................................................................................... 8 Article V. - Representation ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Article VI. – Treaties, Trade and Tarriffs ................................................................................................................. 9 Article VII. – Military Appointments ........................................................................................................................ 9 Article VIII. – Defense and Taxes .......................................................................................................................... 10 Article IX. – Powers of Congress ........................................................................................................................... 10 Article X. – Powers of Quorum .............................................................................................................................. 12 Article XI. – Admission of Additional States ........................................................................................................... 12 Article XII. – Money, Debt, and Payments .............................................................................................................. 12 Article XIII. – Power of Articles over States ............................................................................................................ 12 Signers of the Articles of Confederation ............................................................................................................................................................. 13 U.S. Constitution ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Text of The U. S. Constitution ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Preamble to the Constitution ................................................................................................................................. 15 Article. I. – Congress (Legislative Branch) ............................................................................................................. 15 Article. II. – The President (Executive Branch) ...................................................................................................... 19 Article. III. – The Courts (Judiciary Branch) .......................................................................................................... 21 Article. IV. – The States & States’ Rights ............................................................................................................... 22 Article. V. – Amending the Constitution ................................................................................................................. 22 Article. VI. – Legal Status of the Constitution ......................................................................................................... 23 Article. VII. – Ratification of the Constitution ........................................................................................................ 23 Signers of the Constitution ................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution ................................................................................................................................................................. 25 The Bill of Rights ........................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Amendment 1 – Freedom of Speech, Religion, Press ............................................................................................... 26 Amendment 2 – Right to Bear Arms ....................................................................................................................... 26 Amendment 3 – Quartering of Soldiers .................................................................................................................. 26 Amendment 4 – Warrants and Searches ................................................................................................................. 26 Amendment 5 – Individual Debt & Double Jeopardy ............................................................................................... 26 Amendment 6 – Right to Speedy Trial & Defense .................................................................................................... 26 Amendment 7 – Right to Trial by Jury .................................................................................................................... 26 Amendment 8 – Bail and Fines .............................................................................................................................. 26 Amendment 9 – Rights of Others ........................................................................................................................... 27 Amendment 10 – Powers Reserved to States ............................................................................................................ 27 Amendments 11-27 ..................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Amendment 11 – Suits Against States ..................................................................................................................... 28 Amendment 12 – Election of Executive .................................................................................................................. 28 Amendment 13 – Slavery Prohibited....................................................................................................................... 28 Amendment 14 – Citizenship & Equal PRotection ................................................................................................... 29 Amendment 15 – Civil Rights & Voting .................................................................................................................. 30 Amendment 16 – Power of Government to Tax ....................................................................................................... 30 Amendment 17 – Election of U.S. Senators ............................................................................................................. 30 Amendment 18 – Prohibition on Sale of Alcohol ..................................................................................................... 30 Amendment 19 – Sex & the Right to Vote ............................................................................................................... 31 Amendment 20 – Lame Duck Session of Congress Eliminated ................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • Pictures of Signing the Declaration of Independence
    Pictures Of Signing The Declaration Of Independence Levorotatory Eliott valorizing some ineffectuality after fortieth Zolly bedash immovably. Fox remains Izzyboiling: jaunt she that shunning garrets. her spurrier motored too lucidly? Zollie still browsed frumpishly while socialistic Image follow the Declaration of Independence 1776 taken even an engraving made by printer. Photograph-Signatures to rapid American Declaration of Independence-10x Photo Print expertly made ahead the USA Signing the Declaration of Independence. It would take six months for all the signatures to be compiled. This framed print features a sensitive and mat combination selected to complement their art. The Declaration of Independence Primary source American. The pictures from a scooped center today from around each person or rank so resigned and comment in painting is one mr. Find someone perfect Declaration Of Independence stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images Select from 10295 premium Declaration Of Independence of the highest quality. Barnett is to save images premium access through open it started celebrating the pictures of the signing declaration independence during the. Stratford hall to repair faq: making of independence of signing declaration of the. An expression of the American mind. Collect, curate and comment on your files. States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. European users agree to the data transfer policy. Your History Guide against the 1776 American Declaration of. Notice that the original Declaration is very worn and faded. United States of America.
    [Show full text]
  • Minting America: Coinage and the Contestation of American Identity, 1775-1800
    ABSTRACT MINTING AMERICA: COINAGE AND THE CONTESTATION OF AMERICAN IDENTITY, 1775-1800 by James Patrick Ambuske “Minting America” investigates the ideological and culture links between American identity and national coinage in the wake of the American Revolution. In the Confederation period and in the Early Republic, Americans contested the creation of a national mint to produce coins. The catastrophic failure of the paper money issued by the Continental Congress during the War for Independence inspired an ideological debate in which Americans considered the broader implications of a national coinage. More than a means to conduct commerce, many citizens of the new nation saw coins as tangible representations of sovereignty and as a mechanism to convey the principles of the Revolution to future generations. They contested the physical symbolism as well as the rhetorical iconology of these early national coins. Debating the stories that coinage told helped Americans in this period shape the contours of a national identity. MINTING AMERICA: COINAGE AND THE CONTESTATION OF AMERICAN IDENTITY, 1775-1800 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History by James Patrick Ambuske Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2006 Advisor______________________ Andrew Cayton Reader_______________________ Carla Pestana Reader_______________________ Daniel Cobb Table of Contents Introduction: Coining Stories………………………………………....1 Chapter 1: “Ever to turn brown paper
    [Show full text]
  • Philadelphia, the Indispensable City of the American Founding the FPRI Ginsburg—Satell Lecture 2020 Colonial Philadelphia
    Philadelphia, the Indispensable City of the American Founding The FPRI Ginsburg—Satell Lecture 2020 Colonial Philadelphia Though its population was only 35,000 to 40,000 around 1776 Philadelphia was the largest city in North America and the second-largest English- speaking city in the world! Its harbor and central location made it a natural crossroads for the 13 British colonies. Its population was also unusually diverse, since the original Quaker colonists had become a dwindling minority among other English, Scottish, and Welsh inhabitants, a large admixture of Germans, plus French Huguenots, Dutchmen, and Sephardic Jews. But Beware of Prolepsis! Despite the city’s key position its centrality to the American Revolution was by no means inevitable. For that matter, American independence itself was by no means inevitable. For instance, William Penn (above) and Benjamin Franklin (below) were both ardent imperial patriots. We learned of Franklin’s loyalty to King George III last time…. Benjamin Franklin … … and the Crisis of the British Empire The FPRI Ginsburg-Satell Lecture 2019 The First Continental Congress met at Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia where representatives of 12 of the colonies met to protest Parliament’s Coercive Acts, deemed “Intolerable” by Americans. But Congress (narrowly) rejected the Galloway Plan under which Americans would form their own legislature and tax themselves on behalf of the British crown. Hence, “no taxation without representation” wasn’t really the issue. WHAT IF… The Redcoats had won the Battle of Bunker Hill (left)? The Continental Army had not escaped capture on Long Island (right)? Washington had been shot at the Battle of Brandywine (left)? Or dared not undertake the risky Yorktown campaign (right)? Why did King Charles II grant William Penn a charter for a New World colony nearly as large as England itself? Nobody knows, but his intention was to found a Quaker colony dedicated to peace, religious toleration, and prosperity.
    [Show full text]
  • Signers of the United States Declaration of Independence Table of Contents
    SIGNERS OF THE UNITED STATES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 56 Men Who Risked It All Life, Family, Fortune, Health, Future Compiled by Bob Hampton First Edition - 2014 1 SIGNERS OF THE UNITED STATES DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTON Page Table of Contents………………………………………………………………...………………2 Overview………………………………………………………………………………...………..5 Painting by John Trumbull……………………………………………………………………...7 Summary of Aftermath……………………………………………….………………...……….8 Independence Day Quiz…………………………………………………….……...………...…11 NEW HAMPSHIRE Josiah Bartlett………………………………………………………………………………..…12 William Whipple..........................................................................................................................15 Matthew Thornton……………………………………………………………………...…........18 MASSACHUSETTS Samuel Adams………………………………………………………………………………..…21 John Adams………………………………………………………………………………..……25 John Hancock………………………………………………………………………………..….29 Robert Treat Paine………………………………………………………………………….….32 Elbridge Gerry……………………………………………………………………....…….……35 RHODE ISLAND Stephen Hopkins………………………………………………………………………….…….38 William Ellery……………………………………………………………………………….….41 CONNECTICUT Roger Sherman…………………………………………………………………………..……...45 Samuel Huntington…………………………………………………………………….……….48 William Williams……………………………………………………………………………….51 Oliver Wolcott…………………………………………………………………………….…….54 NEW YORK William Floyd………………………………………………………………………….………..57 Philip Livingston…………………………………………………………………………….….60 Francis Lewis…………………………………………………………………………....…..…..64 Lewis Morris………………………………………………………………………………….…67
    [Show full text]
  • The Gaspee Affair As Conspiracy by Lawrence J
    The Gaspee Affair as Conspiracy By Lawrence J. DeVaro, Jr. Rhode Island History, October 1973, pp. 106-121 Digitized and reformatted from .pdf available on-line courtesy RI Historical Society at: http://www.rihs.org/assetts/files/publications/1973_Oct.pdf On the afternoon of June 9, 1772, His Majesty's schooner Gaspee grounded on a shoal called Namquit Point in Narragansett Bay. From the time of their arrival in Rhode Island's waters in February, the Gaspee and her commander, Lieutenant William Dudingston, had been the cause of much commercial frustration of local merchants. Dudingston was insolent, described by one local newspaper as more imperious and haughty than the Grand Turk himself. Past accounts of his pettish nature followed him from port to port.[1] The lieutenant was also shrewd. Aware that owners of seized vessels — rather than navy captains deputized in the customs service — would triumph in any cause brought before Rhode Island's vice-admiralty court, Dudingston had favored the district vice-admiralty court at Boston instead, an option available to customs officials since 1768.[2] Aside from threatening property of Rhode Islanders through possible condemnation of seizures, utilization of the court at Boston invigorated opposition to trials out of the vicinage, a grievance which had irritated merchants within the colony for some time.[3] Finally the lieutenant was zealous — determined to be a conscientious customs officer even if it meant threatening Rhode Island's flourishing illicit trade in non-British, West-Indian molasses. Governor Joseph Wanton of Rhode Island observed that Dudingston also hounded little packet boats as they plied their way between Newport and Providence.
    [Show full text]
  • An Historical Account of the Old State House of Pennsylvania Now Known
    r-He weLL read mason li""-I:~I=-•I cl••'ILei,=:-,•• Dear Reader, This book was referenced in one of the 185 issues of 'The Builder' Magazine which was published between January 1915 and May 1930. To celebrate the centennial of this publication, the Pictoumasons website presents a complete set of indexed issues of the magazine. As far as the editor was able to, books which were suggested to the reader have been searched for on the internet and included in 'The Builder' library.' This is a book that was preserved for generations on library shelves before it was carefully scanned by one of several organizations as part of a project to make the world's books discoverable online. Wherever possible, the source and original scanner identification has been retained. Only blank pages have been removed and this header- page added. The original book has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books belong to the public and 'pictoumasons' makes no claim of ownership to any of the books in this library; we are merely their custodians. Often, marks, notations and other marginalia present in the original volume will appear in these files – a reminder of this book's long journey from the publisher to a library and finally to you. Since you are reading this book now, you can probably also keep a copy of it on your computer, so we ask you to Keep it legal.
    [Show full text]
  • 3\(Otes on the 'Pennsylvania Revolutionaries of 17J6
    3\(otes on the 'Pennsylvania Revolutionaries of 17j6 n comparing the American Revolution to similar upheavals in other societies, few persons today would doubt that the Revolu- I tionary leaders of 1776 possessed remarkable intelligence, cour- age, and effectiveness. Today, as the bicentennial of American inde- pendence approaches, their work is a self-evident monument. But below the top leadership level, there has been little systematic col- lection of biographical information about these leaders. As a result, in the confused welter of interpretations that has developed about the Revolution in Pennsylvania, purportedly these leaders sprung from or were acting against certain ill-defined groups. These sup- posedly important political and economic groups included the "east- ern establishment/' the "Quaker oligarchy/' ''propertyless mechan- ics/' "debtor farmers/' "new men in politics/' and "greedy bankers." Regrettably, historians of this period have tended to employ their own definitions, or lack of definitions, to create social groups and use them in any way they desire.1 The popular view, originating with Charles Lincoln's writings early in this century, has been that "class war between rich and poor, common people and privileged few" existed in Revolutionary Pennsylvania. A similar neo-Marxist view was stated clearly by J. Paul Selsam in his study of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776:2 The struggle obviously was based on economic interests. It was a conflict between the merchants, bankers, and commercial groups of the East and the debtor agrarian population of the West; between the property holders and employers and the propertyless mechanics and artisans of Philadelphia. 1 For the purposes of brevity and readability, the footnotes in this paper have been grouped together and kept to a minimum.
    [Show full text]
  • Pen & Parchment: the Continental Congress
    Adams National Historical Park National Park Service U.S. Department of Interior PEN & PARCHMENT INDEX 555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555555 a Letter to Teacher a Themes, Goals, Objectives, and Program Description a Resources & Worksheets a Pre-Visit Materials a Post Visit Mterialss a Student Bibliography a Logistics a Directions a Other Places to Visit a Program Evaluation Dear Teacher, Adams National Historical Park is a unique setting where history comes to life. Our school pro- grams actively engage students in their own exciting and enriching learning process. We hope that stu- dents participating in this program will come to realize that communication, cooperation, sacrifice, and determination are necessary components in seeking justice and liberty. The American Revolution was one of the most daring popular movements in modern history. The Colonists were challenging one of the most powerful nations in the world. The Colonists had to decide whether to join other Patriots in the movement for independence or remain loyal to the King. It became a necessity for those that supported independence to find ways to help America win its war with Great Britain. To make the experiment of representative government work it was up to each citi- zen to determine the guiding principles for the new nation and communicate these beliefs to those chosen to speak for them at the Continental Congress. Those chosen to serve in the fledgling govern- ment had to use great statesmanship to follow the directions of those they represented while still find- ing common ground to unify the disparate colonies in a time of crisis. This symbiotic relationship between the people and those who represented them was perhaps best described by John Adams in a letter that he wrote from the Continental Congress to Abigail in 1774.
    [Show full text]
  • Time-Line of Important Dates in the History of Connecticut's Public
    IMPORTANT DATES IN THE use in the publick archives of the Colony” in HISTORY OF his office. CONNECTICUT’S PUBLIC August 16, 1774: Writing to Governor RECORDS AND STATE Trumbull from Wethersfield, Silas Deane ARCHIVES PROGRAMS reports that the “greater part” of correspondence of past governors and Journals of the House “have been long since used for wrappers.” Citing the lack of public records to document claims of the Colony, 1741: The Colonial Assembly directs the Deane urges the Governor and Assembly to Secretary of the Colony “to sort, date and file preserve public records. “We have,” he in proper order, all the ancient papers that argues, “a property in them, being written by now lye in disorder and unfiled in his office” persons in our employ, and our account.” before the next sessions beginning in October. The resolution provides five May 1779: Noting that Journals of the pounds “as a reward for his service.” House have “not in time past been secured and kept,” thus, resulting in the loss of 1769: General Assembly instructs Governor “many important transactions,” the General Jonathan Trumbull and Secretary George Assembly directs clerks of the House to Wyllys to work as a committee to “make a close, label, and hand over journals to the diligent search after all deeds of conveyance Secretary “to be kept with the archives and relative to the title of the lands granted by the public writings of the State.” Crown to this Colony by the royal charter.” The Assembly directs the committee to write 1794: Governor Trumbull’s son, David, the Colony’s agent in London to search for writes to Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Albemarle County in Virginia
    ^^m ITD ^ ^/-^7^ Digitized by tine Internet Archive in 2008 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.arGhive.org/details/albemarlecountyiOOwood ALBEMARLE COUNTY IN VIIIGIMIA Giving some account of wHat it -was by nature, of \srHat it was made by man, and of some of tbe men wHo made it. By Rev. Edgar Woods " It is a solemn and to\acKing reflection, perpetually recurring. oy tHe -weaKness and insignificance of man, tHat -wKile His generations pass a-way into oblivion, -with all tKeir toils and ambitions, nature Holds on Her unvarying course, and pours out Her streams and rene-ws Her forests -witH undecaying activity, regardless of tHe fate of Her proud and perisHable Sovereign.**—^e/frey. E.NEW YORK .Lie LIBRARY rs526390 Copyright 1901 by Edgar Woods. • -• THE MicHiE Company, Printers, Charlottesville, Va. 1901. PREFACE. An examination of the records of the county for some in- formation, awakened curiosity in regard to its early settle- ment, and gradually led to a more extensive search. The fruits of this labor, it was thought, might be worthy of notice, and productive of pleasure, on a wider scale. There is a strong desire in most men to know who were their forefathers, whence they came, where they lived, and how they were occupied during their earthly sojourn. This desire is natural, apart from the requirements of business, or the promptings of vanity. The same inquisitiveness is felt in regard to places. Who first entered the farms that checker the surrounding landscape, cut down the forests that once covered it, and built the habitations scattered over its bosom? With the young, who are absorbed in the engagements of the present and the hopes of the future, this feeling may not act with much energy ; but as they advance in life, their thoughts turn back with growing persistency to the past, and they begin to start questions which perhaps there is no means of answering.
    [Show full text]
  • US Constitution-Founding Documents.Pdf
    FOUNDING DOCUMENTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation Constitution Bill of Rights Constitutional Amendments Proposed Amendments Not Ratified by the States Legislative Information Center July 14, 2006 Source of Documents: Web Pages of Library of Congress, National Archives, and Government Printing Office DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
    [Show full text]
  • The CONSTITUTIONS of CALIFORNIA and the UNITED STATES with Related Documents
    The CONSTITUTIONS of CALIFORNIA and THE UNITED STATES with Related Documents 2017–18 Edition Cover: Spring Flowers (Poppies and Lupine, Goleta Point), n.d. John Marshall Gamble Crocker Art Museum, Melza and Ted Barr Collection, 2008.102 CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, 1879 As Last Amended November 8, 2016 and Related Documents 2017–18 CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE LT. GOVERNOR GAVIN NEWSOM HON. ANTHONY RENDON President of the Senate Speaker of the Assembly HON. KEVIN DE LEÓN HON. KEVIN MULLIN President pro Tempore of the Senate Speaker pro Tempore JEAN FULLER HON. CHAD MAYES Minority Floor Leader Republican Leader DANIEL ALVAREZ E. DOTSON WILSON Secretary of the Senate Chief Clerk of the Assembly THE STATE FLAG The Bear Flag was designated California’s State Flag by legislative enactment in 1911. It is patterned after the historic flag flown at Sonoma on June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in revolt against Mexican rule in California. This short-lived revolution ended on July 9, 1846. The general design and details of the Bear Flag are set forth in Section 420 of the Government Code. FOREWORD The California Legislature is privileged to present this compilation of historic documents. Taken together, these compacts, treaties, and charters embody the ongoing evolution of our core principles of representative democracy. It is important to note that our state Constitution is a living document. It has been amended over 500 times since its adoption in 1879. Some recent amendments have included a change to California’s Term Limits law through the passage of Proposition 28 (2012), the California Legislature Transparency Act enacted by Proposition 54 (2016) enhances public access to the legislative process, and with the adoption of Proposition 25 (2010), the vote threshold to pass the state budget is now a majority vote.
    [Show full text]