A LIVING FRAMEWORK
The Constitution is the world's oldest written national constitution still in continuous operation, but continuity has required change. Twenty-seven amendments…
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THE BILL OF RIGHTS
J ames Madison introduced amendments in the First Congress, drawing upon state declarations of rights and ratification proposals. Congress sent…
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RATIFICATION: THE PEOPLE ARGUE
The Convention signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787. It would take effect after ratification by nine state conventions. The…
Read More“WE THE PEOPLE” – AND WHO COUNTED
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union… The Preamble begins not "We…
Read MoreTHE COMPROMISE WITH SLAVERY
The Constitution avoided the words slave and slavery, but it protected the institution through structure and compromise. This was not…
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A GOVERNMENT OF DIVIDED POWER
The framers sought a national government strong enough to tax, regulate commerce, conduct foreign affairs, provide defense and enforce law.…
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THE CONVENTION: COMPROMISE IN A CLOSED ROOM
Fifty-five delegates attended at various times; thirty-nine ultimately signed. They were lawyers, merchants, planters, physicians, soldiers and public officials-experienced and…
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THE PROMISE AND THE CONTRADICTION
The assertion that all men are created equal was revolutionary in scope and radically incomplete in application. The political community…
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WORDS ENTER THE WORLD
The Declaration was read publicly in Philadelphia on July 8 and soon in towns, military camps, churches and meetinghouses across…
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A DOCUMENT WITH FOUR MOVEMENTS
1. THE RIGHT TO DECLARE The opening states that when one people separates from another, respect for the "opinions of…
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THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
The Idea That Gave Birth to a Nation “The war won a nation. The Declaration gave the nation its soul.”…
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YORKTOWN AND AN UNCERTAIN PEACE
I n 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis established a base at Yorktown, Virginia. Washington and the French commander Rochambeau moved…
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WAR MOVES SOUTH
After failing to crush the Revolution in the North, Britain shifted its main effort southward, expecting substantial Loyalist support. Savannah…
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MANY PEOPLES, DIFFERENT REVOLUTIONS
WOMEN Women managed farms and businesses, produced military supplies, raised funds, carried messages and cared for the sick. Camp followers…
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SARATOGA, ALLIANCE AND VALLEY FORGE
In 1777, Britain pursued a plan to isolate New England by advancing from Canada down the Hudson corridor. American forces…
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DISASTER, RETREAT AND A WINTER GAMBLE
Britain returned in overwhelming strength to New York during the summer of 1776. Washington's army suffered defeat on Long Island…
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Revolution : The War for Independence, 1775-1783
“Independence was declared in words. It had to be sustained by sacrifice, endurance, alliance and war.” AN ARMY BEFORE A…
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“The argument had become a rebellion. The rebellion had not yet become independence.”
By early 1775, Massachusetts resistance had become organized and armed. Provincial leaders gathered military supplies at Concord; militia companies trained…
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