1. Declaration of Independence
1.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
1.1.1. Defined our independence from Britian
1.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
1.2.1. John Adams,Roger Sherman,Benjamin Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson.
1.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
1.3.1. Created in 1776, and we use and use this document to this day.
1.4. 4. How is the document structured?
1.4.1. The document is structured into several sections.
1.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
1.5.1. 1) Gave us our independence from Britain 2) adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 3) 56 delegates signed the document 4) The most famous signature on the engrossed copy is that of John Hancock 5) Announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire.
2. Northwest Ordinance
2.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
2.1.1. The general purpose of the Northwest Ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory, the first organized territory of the United States, from lands South of the Great Lakes, North and West of the Ohio River, and East of the Mississippi River.
2.2. 2. Who is responsable for writing this document?
2.2.1. Nathan Dan
2.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
2.3.1. Adopted by Congress in 1787, and we still use it to this day
2.4. 4. How is the document structured?
2.4.1. Structured into sections
2.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
2.5.1. 1) The first organized territory of the United States, from lands south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River. 2) This division helped set the stage for national competition over admitting free and slave states 3) On August 7, 1789, President George Washington signed the Northwest Ordinance of 1789 4) The law accelerated westward expansion. The law established that all states would be equal, regardless of when they were established. 5) Was the most important piece of legislation enacted by Congress under the Articles of Confederation.
3. Articles of Confederation
3.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
3.1.1. Established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution.
3.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
3.2.1. John Dickinson
3.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
3.3.1. Its drafting by the Continental Congress began in mid-1776, and an approved version was sent to the states for ratification in late 1777. The formal ratification by all 13 states was completed in early 1781. We do not use this document today.
3.4. 4. How is the document structured?
3.4.1. Five-page Articles contained a preamble, 13 articles, a conclusion, and a signatory section.
3.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
3.5.1. 1) Gave states their individual rights 2) On March 4, 1789, general government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the U.S. Constitution. 3) First government after we broke away from Britain 4) The weakness of the government created by the Articles became a matter of concern 5) It was an agreement among the 13 founding states that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution
4. Constitution
4.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
4.1.1. It defines the laws of our country
4.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
4.2.1. James Madison
4.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
4.3.1. Created in 1787 Ratified in 1788, We use this to this day
4.4. 4. How is the document structured?
4.4.1. Starts with Preamble then its divided into sections
4.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
4.5.1. 1) The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. 2) Its first three articles entrench the doctrine of the separation of powers 3) Is divided into three branches 4) The legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts 5) The first 10 amendments in the Constitution are the Bill of Rights
5. Bill of Rights
5.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
5.1.1. The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. The amendments guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public.
5.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
5.2.1. James Madison
5.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
5.3.1. Created September 25, 1789 Ratified December 15, 1791 We still use this document to this day
5.4. 4. How is the document structured?
5.4.1. Organized into to different amendments
5.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
5.5.1. 1) First ten amendments in U.S Constitution 2) Gives us freedom 3) Lets us bear arms 4) Gives us search and seizure 5.) Gives us jury trial
6. Federalist Papers
6.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
6.1.1. The general purpose was promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution
6.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
6.2.1. Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
6.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
6.3.1. Published in 1788
6.4. 4. How is the document structured?
6.4.1. There are two volumes, listed six topics to be covered in the subsequent articles
6.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
6.5.1. 1) Federalist were people who supported the constitution 2) Series of 85 articles 3) The Federalist Papers did not emerge until the twentieth century. 4) Seventy-seven were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet 5) A compilation of these and eight others, called The Federalist; or, The New Constitution, was published in two volumes
7. Aniti-Federalist Papers
7.1. 1. What is the general purpose of this document?
7.1.1. Anti-Federalist Papers is the name given to the scattered writings of the Americans who opposed to or who raised doubts about the more energetic union as embodied in the 1787 United States Constitution.
7.2. 2. Who is responsible for writing this document?
7.2.1. There is no canonical list anti-federalist authors, major authors includes likely George Clinton, Robert Yates, Samuel Bryan, and the Federal Farmer
7.3. 3. What time frame was/is the document significant?
7.3.1. The documents were significant in the late 1780s and early 1790s.
7.4. 4. How is the document structured?
7.4.1. The papers varied in topics, and were uncoordinated
7.5. 5. What are the five most important things we need to know about this document?
7.5.1. 1) Anti-Federalist were people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution 2) The authors of these writings wrote mostly under pen names 3) They supported and promoted a firmer and more connected union 4) Seven volumes 5) Their work is vast and varied and, for the most part, uncoordinated