Bill of Rights

Overview
On December 15, 1791, the United States Congress was assembled at Congress Hall in Philadelphia when the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States were ratified.  These ten amendments, which are referred to as the "Bill of Rights", guarantee all Americans many personal freedoms and limit the power of the government.

The Bill of Rights: A Transcription

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Articles of Confederation

Overview
Before the United States had its Constitution, the new country relied on the Articles of Confederation. Agreed to by Congress on November 15, 1777, and in force after ratification by Maryland on March 1, 1781, the Articles of Confederation served as a bridge between the initial government structure by the Continental Congress of the Revolutionary period and the Federal government provided under the U.S. Constitution of 1787.

The Declaration of Independence

Overview
Between June 11 and June 28, 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia at the Declaration House (also referred to as the Jacob Graff House). The Declaration of Independence quickly became one of the nation's most cherished symbols of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring legacy. In exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

Founding Documents

Overview
In 1761, fifteen years before the United States of America declared itself as a new nation with The Declaration of Independence, the American colonists were loyal British subjects who celebrated the coronation of King George III. The Colonies stretched from present-day Maine to Georgia.  The Colonies were distinctly English in character, although they had been settled by Scots, Welsh, Irish, Dutch, Swedes, Finns, Africans, French, Germans, Swiss, and the English.

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