Original Declaration of Independence Location
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CONFEDERATION CONGRESS CALLS the CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, 21 February 17871
C. CONFEDERATION CONGRESS CALLS THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION, 21 February 17871 Congress assembled as before. The report of a grand committee2 consisting of Mr. [Nathan] Dane, Mr. [James M.] Varnum, Mr. S[tephen] M[ix] Mitchell, Mr. [Melancton] Smith, Mr. [Lambert] Cadwallader, Mr. [William] Irwine, Mr. N[athaniel] Mitchell, Mr. [Uriah] Forrest, Mr. [William] Grayson, Mr. [William] Blount, Mr. [John] Bull, and Mr. [William] Few to whom was referred a letter of 14 September 1786 from J[ohn] Dickinson written at the request of commissioners from the states of Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York assembled at the city of Annapolis together with a copy of the report of the said commissioners to the legislatures of the states by whom they were appointed, being an order of the day was called up and which is contained in the following resolution, viz: “Congress having had under consideration the letter of John Dickinson, Esquire, chairman of the commissioners who assembled at Annapolis during the last year, also the proceedings of the said commissioners and entirely coinciding with them as to the inefficiency of the federal government and the necessity of devising such farther provisions as shall render the same adequate to the exigencies of the Union do strongly recommend to the different legislatures to send forward delegates to meet the proposed convention on the second Monday in May next at the city of Philadelphia.” The delegates for the state of New York thereupon laid before Congress instructions3 which they had -
P.S.: You Had Better Remove the Records: Early Federal Archives
“P.S.: You had better remove the records” Early Federal Archives and the Burning of Washington during the War of 1812 By Jessie Kratz hen British troops began to advance toward And so clerks packed Wthe United States’ new capital of Wash such things as the books and ington in the summer of 1814, it was clear that papers of the State Department; government leaders had not prepared an adequate unpublished secret journals of defense for the city and its government buildings. Congress; George Washington’s The British navy already had control of nearby Chesa commission and correspondence; peake Bay and some 4,500 troops in the port town of the Articles of Confederation; papers Benedict, Maryland—poised for an attack on the capital. of the Continental Congress; and all the Despite the show of force, the secretary of war, treaties, laws, and correspondence dating John Armstrong, was convinced the British were back to 1789. more interested in the port of Baltimore than in Along with these early records, the clerks Washington, which then had only 8,200 residents. also bagged up the Charters of Freedom—the Secretary of State James Monroe felt differently collective term for the Declaration of Indepen and met with President James Madison to discuss dence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. the enemy’s intentions. Then Monroe himself rode And so these three documents began a long jour by horse, accompanied by cavalry, into southern ney as the War of 1812 raged. Maryland to scout the situation. The journey would not end until 1952, when Upon seeing the British advancing toward all three were placed together, side by side, in special Washington, Monroe dispatched a note to Presi encasements in the Rotunda of the National Archives dent Madison. -
The United States and the Articles of Confederation: Drifting Toward Anarchy Or Inching Toward Commonwealth?*
The United States and the Articles of Confederation: Drifting Toward Anarchy or Inching Toward Commonwealth?* On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee proposed to the Second Con- tinental Congress "[t]hat these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States," and "[t]hat a plan of confederation be prepared and transmitted to the respective Colonies for their con- sideration and approbation."' Lee's resolution reflected the linkage between independence and confederation in the public mind.2 The result was the Articles of Confederation, drafted in 1776-1777 and fi- nally ratified on March 1, 1781, which remained in effect until 1789 and represented the first American experiment with a written na- tional charter.3 The conventional view of this period is that it was dominated by deep factional conflict concerning the amount of power that should be vested in the national government. 4 The text of the Articles, ac- cording to this view, represented a victory for the group favoring minimal national authority, 5 and as a result the Articles government * The author acknowledges with gratitude the assistancc of Professor William E. Nelson of the Yale Law School in providing critical guidance and granting permission to make use of unpublished research materials. 1. 5 JOURNALS OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS 425 (W. Ford ed. 1906) [hereinafter cited without cross-reference as JOURNALS]. 2. See NEw JERSEY IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, 1763-1783: A DOCUMENT.ARY HISTORY 402 (L. Gerlach ed. 1975) (issues of independence and confederation were inseparable) [hereinafter cited as DOCUIENTARY HISTORY]; cf. Jensen, The Articles of Confederation, in FUNDAMENTAL TESTAMENTS OF TilE AMERICAN RLvoI.UTIoN 62 (Library of Congress Sym- posium on the American Revolution 1973) (politicians who opposed confederation did so because they saw it as step toward independence) [hereinafter cited as Jensen, TESTA ENTS]. -
1 the Story of the Faulkner Murals by Lester S. Gorelic, Ph.D. the Story Of
The Story of the Faulkner Murals By Lester S. Gorelic, Ph.D. The story of the Faulkner murals in the Rotunda begins on October 23, 1933. On this date, the chief architect of the National Archives, John Russell Pope, recommended the approval of a two- year competing United States Government contract to hire a noted American muralist, Barry Faulkner, to paint a mural for the Exhibit Hall in the planned National Archives Building.1 The recommendation initiated a three-year project that produced two murals, now viewed and admired by more than a million people annually who make the pilgrimage to the National Archives in Washington, DC, to view two of the Charters of Freedom documents they commemorate: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. The two-year contract provided $36,000 in costs plus $6,000 for incidental expenses.* The contract ended one year before the projected date for completion of the Archives Building’s construction, providing Faulkner with an additional year to complete the project. The contract’s only guidance of an artistic nature specified that “The work shall be in character with and appropriate to the particular design of this building.” Pope served as the contract supervisor. Louis Simon, the supervising architect for the Treasury Department, was brought in as the government representative. All work on the murals needed approval by both architects. Also, The United States Commission of Fine Arts served in an advisory capacity to the project and provided input critical to the final composition. The contract team had expertise in art, architecture, painting, and sculpture. -
Attendees at George Washington's Resignation of His Commission Old Senate Chamber, Maryland State House, December 23
Attendees at George Washington’s Resignation of his Commission Old Senate Chamber, Maryland State House, December 23, 1783 Compiled by the Maryland State Archives, February 2009 Known attendees: George Washington Thomas Mifflin, President of the Congress Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Congress Other known attendees: Members of the Governor and Council of Maryland. Specific members are not identified; full membership listed below Members of the government of the City of Annapolis. Specific members are not identified; full membership listed below Henry Harford, former Proprietor of Maryland Sir Robert Eden, former governor Those who attended who wrote about the ceremony in some detail: Dr. James McHenry, Congressman and former aide to Washington Mollie Ridout Dr. James Tilton, Congressman There was a “gallery full of ladies” (per Mollie Ridout), most of whom are unknown Members of the Maryland General Assembly The General Assembly was in Session on December 23, and both houses convened in the State House on December 22 and on December 23. It is difficult to identify specific individuals who were in the Senate Chamber GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF 1783 William Paca, governor November 3-December 26, 1783 SENATE WESTERN James McHenry EASTERN Edward Lloyd SHORE SHORE George Plater Daniel Carroll, Matthew John Cadwalader (E, president ' Tilghman Dcl) Thomas Stone Richard Barnes ' (DNS, R) Robert Goldsborough (DNS) (E, Charles Carroll of Benedict Edward Hall John Henry DNS) Carrollton, Samuel Hughes William Hindman William Perry (E) president ' John Smith Josiah Polk (DNS) HOUSE OF DELEGATES ST MARY'S John Dent, of John CECIL Nathan Hammond William Somerville BALTIMORE Archibald Job Thomas Ogle John DeButts Thomas Cockey Deye, Samuel Miller HARFORD Edmund Plowden speaker William Rowland Benjamin Bradford Norris Philip Key Charles Ridgely, of Benjamin Brevard John Love William KENT John Stevenson ANNAPOLIS John Taylor (DNS) Peregrine Lethrbury Charles Ridgely Allen Quynn Ignatius Wheeler, Jr. -
If You Seek Better Health Through Nutrition, and You Appreciate Cutting-Edge Have to Wait for Weeks to Was a Body Known As Congress
The sole governing authority presiding over the tumultuous John Locke and the events of the American Revolution between 1774 and 1789 Continental If you seek better health through nutrition, and you appreciate cutting-edge have to wait for weeks to was a body known as Congress. With no power to regulate philosophers. What culinary artistry, microgreens are the perfect addition to your kitchen. get an edible result. commerce or lay taxes, and with little ability to enforce any Jefferson did was to Microgreens are tiny, young leafy vegetables grown from seeds and harvested Because they are small and of its decisions, this group, representing the thirteen summarize this when they are only one to two inches tall. They’re not just cute and delicious; harvested in an immature colonies, declared independence, conducted a war that philosophy in “self- they also contain higher levels of essential nutrients than their full-grown state, you can easily grow them indoors. defeated one of the greatest military powers of its day, and evident truths” and set counterparts. Popular microgreen varieties include lettuce, radish, Chinese No Space? No Problem! invented a new political entity that became a sovereign forth a list of cabbage, spinach, mustard, kohlrabi, kale, beet, chard and various herbs. If you live in an apartment home with little or no outdoor space, growing independent nation. Its members pondered everything from grievances against the How to Use Your Microgreens microgreens indoors could become a fun, healthy and cost-effective hobby. All the rightness of independence to the number of flints King of Great Britain in Microgreens are perfect additions to healthy gourmet salads, but there are you need to get started are a few shallow containers, a sunny window or a needed by the armies–sometimes with the enemy not far order to justify before many other ways to use them. -
National Historical Park Pennsylvania
INDEPENDENCE National Historical Park Pennsylvania Hall was begun in the spring of 1732, when from this third casting is the one you see In May 1775, the Second Continental Con The Constitutional Convention, 1787 where Federal Hall National Memorial now ground was broken. today.) gress met in the Pennsylvania State House stands. Then, in 1790, it came to Philadel Edmund Woolley, master carpenter, and As the official bell of the Pennsylvania (Independence Hall) and decided to move The Articles of Confederation and Perpet phia for 10 years. Congress sat in the new INDEPENDENCE ual Union were drafted while the war was in Andrew Hamilton, lawyer, planned the State House, the Liberty Bell was intended to from protest to resistance. Warfare between County Court House (now known as Con building and supervised its construction. It be rung on public occasions. During the the colonists and British troops already had progress. They were agreed to by the last of gress Hall) and the United States Supreme NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK was designed in the dignity of the Georgian Revolution, when the British Army occupied begun in Massachusetts. In June the Con the Thirteen States and went into effect in Court in the new City Hall. In Congress period. Independence Hall, with its wings, Philadelphia in 1777, the bell was removed gress chose George Washington to be Gen the final year of the war. Under the Arti Hall, George Washington was inaugurated has long been considered one of the most to Allentown, where it was hidden for almost eral and Commander in Chief of the Army, cles, the Congress met in various towns, only for his second term as President. -
Teacher Sourcebook, Volume III
Our Documents Teacher Sourcebook, Volume III Our Documents is a program of: The Sourcebook is sponsored by: The National Archives and Records Administration, National History Day, and The History Channel are proud to continue their partnership in the Our Documents initiative and this third volume of the Our Documents Teacher Sourcebook. This program is not just about looking at old documents. The documents serve as a catalyst to help teachers, students, parents, and all Americans to strengthen their understanding and appreciation of the records and values that undergird our democracy. Exploring the historical milestones they represent teaches us about our continual quest to “form a more perfect union.” This year we are again making available more supporting material for the 100 documents, sharing additional ideas about how teachers can use these documents in their classes, and illustrating how they might help their students connect these pivotal documents to major themes in American history and to events and issues they face in their own lives. When President Bush launched the Our Documents initiative in September 2002 he noted, “Our history is not a story of perfection. It is a story of imperfect people working toward great ideas.” We hope you find this sourcebook helpful as your classes explore the great ideas at the heart of our union that continue to shape the nation’s future. John W. Carlin Cathy Gorn, Ph.D. Libby O’Connell, Ph.D. Archivist of the Executive Director Historian in Residence United States National History Day The History -
Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence
Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence US and Dec of Ind BK4 AW.indd 1 17/12/09 12:16:20 Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence Ulster-Scots and the Declaration of Independence The influence of Ulster-Scots Presbyterians was heavily stamped on the American Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776 and in the unfolding events which led to the establishment of the United States as a nation. The historic Declaration contained sentiments closely identified with the aspirations of the Presbyterian immigrant stock from the north of Ireland who settled in the American colonies during the 18th century. A significant assertion was: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”. The 56 men from the 13 colonies who signed the Declaration were almost entirely of British family origin. Thirty eight were firmly established as being of English extraction, eight Irish (at least five of whom had direct Ulster family connections), five Welsh, four pure Scottish and one Swedish. One account from Ulster writer the Rev W. F. Marshall records the far-seeing contribution of the Scots- Irish (Ulster-Scots) in the struggle for American independence, with General George Washington reportedly stating: “If defeated everywhere else I will make my last stand for liberty among the Scotch-Irish of my native Virginia”. British Prime Minister at the time Horace Walpole was less flattering, with a jibe to King George 111 and the British Cabinet: “Cousin America has run off with a Presbyterian parson . -
The Attached Document Was Submitted to the Washoe County Board Of
The attached document was submitted to the Washoe County Board of Commissioners during the meeting held on Uch^p-^ ^; -^o( by m^^^s. O-ff?'c e. for Agenda Item No. (Q and included here pursuant to NRS 241.020(8). YOUR CHARTERS OF FREEDOM DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE * UNITED STATES CONSTmJTION BILL OF RIGHTS \ ^ _OB CO "0 v <o o > CM 0'g ^ "0 (0 <U 0 Q YOUR Charters of FREEDOM Tke Charters of Freedom are our country's founding documents. These three original documents; Tke Declaration of Independence, Tke United States Constitution, and Tke Bill of Rigkts are on display in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Tkey are open to the public and free to view. TKe Declaration of Independence was primaril}? penned \sy Thomas Jefferson between June II and June 28, 1776. Tlie document was finalized and approved on July 9, 1776. All 13 colonies signed the parchment document by August 2, 1776. first Jraft of Tlie Unitect States Constitution was approved on August 6 , 1787. Only after tke ratification of tke first ten amendments, known as our Bill of Rights, was tke final draft of Tke Constitution ratified on September 17, 1787. During the process of ratification of The Constitution, there was a demand for a bill of rights to defend indivijual liberties from a possible oppressive government James Madison worked to get 17 amendments through the House. These were later reduced to 12 amendments by tke Senate. Of tkese 12 amendments, 10 were approved on December 15, 1791 and aJJed to Tke Constitution. -
Charters of Freedom - the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights
Charters of Freedom - The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights Making of the Charters The Declaration The Constitution The Bill of Rights Impact of the Charters http://archives.gov/exhibits/charters/[3/13/2011 11:59:20 AM] Charters of Freedom - The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights Making of the Charters The Declaration The Constitution The Bill of Rights Impact of the Charters When the last dutiful & humble petition from Congress received no other Answer than declaring us Rebels, and out of the King’s protection, I from that Moment look’d forward to a Revolution & Independence, as the only means of Salvation; and will risque the last Penny of my Fortune, & the last Drop of my Blood upon the Issue. In 1761, fifteen years before the United States of America burst onto the world stage with the Declaration of Independence, the American colonists were loyal British subjects who celebrated the coronation of their new King, George III. The colonies that stretched from present- day Maine to Georgia were distinctly English in character although they had been settled by Scots, Welsh, Irish, Dutch, Swedes, Finns, Africans, French, Germans, and Swiss, as well as English. As English men and women, the American colonists were heirs to the A Proclamation by the King for thirteenth-century English document, the Magna Carta, which Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition, established the principles that no one is above the law (not even the August 23, 1775 learn more... King), and that no one can take away certain rights. So in 1763, when the King began to assert his authority over the colonies to make them share the cost of the Seven Years' War England had just fought and won, the English colonists protested by invoking their rights as free men and loyal subjects. -
Golden Letters: James Wilson, the Declaration of Independence, and the Sussex Declaration
Golden Letters: James Wilson, the Declaration of Independence, and the Sussex Declaration Danielle Allen and Emily Sneff Final Draft (June 29, 2018) Forthcoming, Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, January 2019 1 Golden Letters: James Wilson, the Declaration of Independence, and the Sussex Declaration Danielle Allen and Emily Sneff1 I. Introduction In Allen and Sneff (“The Sussex Declaration,” Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, fall 2018), we describe, analyze and date to the 1780s a previously unknown parchment manuscript of the Declaration of Independence, housed at the West Sussex Record Office in the United Kingdom and now known as the Sussex Declaration (figure 1). At 24” x 30.5” this parchment is on the same ornamental scale as the only other known contemporary manuscript of the Declaration of Independence on parchment, the engrossed parchment at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. (the “Matlack Declaration”), which was signed by the delegates to Continental Congress. In contrast, the Sussex Declaration lists the signatories, but with all the names written in the hand of a single clerk. Most importantly, the Sussex Declaration departs from all other 18th century preparations of the Declaration in dispensing with state-by-state groupings for the list of signatories; indeed, the only 19th century text that also dispenses with state-by-state groupings derives from the Sussex Declaration. This detail is the single-most anomalous feature of the Sussex Declaration. [Figure 1: Sussex Declaration] 1 We thank the West Sussex Record Office in Chichester, including Wendy Walker, Jenny Mason, Simon Hopkins and Frances Lansley (who passed away in 2016).