Government Documents: Founding Documents
Founding Documents
The three documents, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights, are known collectively as the Charters of Freedom. They have secured the rights of the American people for more than two centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
Links to Government Documents
- Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain.
- The Constitution of the United StatesThe Constitution defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States.
- The Bill of RightsThe Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. It defines citizens’ and states’ rights in relation to the Government.
- The Emancipation ProclamationPresident Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
- The Federalist PapersA series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays were published anonymously, under the pen name "Publius," in various New York state newspapers of the time. The Federalist Papers are often used today to help interpret the intentions of those drafting the Constitution.
- Records of RightsVarious historical documents highlighting America's long battle with discrimination. Includes information on Jim Crow laws, discriminatory voting laws, and school desegregation.
- Civil Rights Act of 1964A complete transcript of the civil rights and labor law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, and later sexual orientation and gender identity.