1. Declaration of Independence
1.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
1.1.1. To announce and explain the separation from Great Britain
1.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
1.2.1. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston.
1.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
1.3.1. the year of 1776
1.4. 4) How is the document structured?
1.4.1. 1.Preamble describes the extra-ordinary context for the declaration 2. Declares self-evident truths 3.List of grievances against King George of England 4. We have sought to speak, but have not been heard 5. Performative
1.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
1.5.1. 1) One signer later recanted.
1.5.2. 2) 8 of the signers were born in Britain
1.5.3. 3) New York City started a riot with the news of the Declaration
1.5.4. 4) more than one copy exist.
1.5.5. 5) there is a 44 year age difference from the youngest and oldest signer.
2. Northwest Ordinance
2.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
2.1.1. This statute provided for the government of the Northwest Territory, an area bounded by the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes, and created a procedure by which states could be established within this territory and admitted to the Union.
2.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
2.2.1. The Congress of Confederation wrote out this document.
2.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
2.3.1. The year of 1789
2.4. 4) How is the document structured?
2.4.1. Government structured.
2.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
2.5.1. 1) The primary effect of the ordinance was the creation of the Northwest Territory
2.5.2. 2) On August 7, 1789, President George Washington signed the Northwest Ordinance of 1789
2.5.3. 3) The prohibition of slavery in the territory had the practical effect of establishing the Ohio River as the boundary between free and slave territory in the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.
2.5.4. 4) The most significant intended purpose of this legislation was its mandate for the creation of new states from the region, once a population of 60,000 had been achieved within a particular territory.
2.5.5. 5) The language of the ordinance prohibits slavery, but also contained a clear fugitive slave clause as well.
3. Articles of Confederation
3.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
3.1.1. 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
3.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
3.2.1. John Dickinson
3.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
3.3.1. 1781-1789
3.4. 4) How is the document structured?
3.4.1. Seperated by different articles that makes up the entire document.
3.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
3.5.1. Important events; 1) Annapolis Convention 2) ay-Gardoqui talks 3) Mount Vernon Conference 4) Land Ordinance of 1784 5) Shays' Rebellion
4. Constitution
4.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
4.1.1. the purposes named in the Preamble: to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.
4.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
4.2.1. the Continental Congress invited each of the 13 colonies to send representatives to Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Their plan was to draft a document to govern the colonies effectively. Twelve states sent a total of 55 delegates. Rhode Island declined to send anyone.
4.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
4.3.1. it went through the ratification process, being accepted by the colonies, which spanned the latter half of 1787 and into 1788.
4.4. 4) How is the document structured?
4.4.1. The basic structure of the Constitution is: The Preamble - states the purpose and the goals of the Constitution. The Articles - lay out the specifics for separation of power and rights of each branch of Government. The Amendments - additions to the Constitution
4.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
4.5.1. 1)The U.S. Constitution divides the government into its three branches: the legislative, judiciary, and the executive. 2) The Constitution also outlines the procedures for going to war. 3)The amendments or changes to the United State’s Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, a very important document in United State’s government. 4) The actual United State’s Constitution was adopted on September 17th, 1787 in Philadelphia at the National Convention. 5)An interesting and less known fact is that the Constitution actually had a clause that stated that slavery would be abolished in twenty years after its signing.
5. Bill of Rights
5.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
5.1.1. The purpose of the Bill of Rights was to guarantee the individual rights of citizens under the Constitution.
5.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
5.2.1. On June 8, 1789, James Madison stood before Congress and attempted to convince the Representatives that a Bill of Rights was needed.
5.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
5.3.1. The Bill of Rights was added to the constitution in 1791.
5.4. 4) How is the document structured?
5.4.1. In a row of the first 10 amendments.
5.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
5.5.1. 1) One hundred fifty years after the Bill of Rights became law, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on the American people to observe December 15 as Bill of Rights Day. 2) George Washington commissioned 14 handwritten copies of the Bill of Rights 3) The original Bill of Rights included 12 amendments, but only 10 became law in 1791. 4) the Bill of Rights did not apply to all Americans—and it wouldn’t for more than 130 years. 5) James Madison was an unlikely author of the proposed amendments that eventually became the Bill of Rights.
6. Federalist Papers
6.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
6.1.1. the Federalist Papers are a series of 85 articles and essays promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution.
6.2. 2) Who was 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. The first Seventy-seven were published serially in The Independent Journal and The New York Packet between October of 1787 and August 1788.
6.4. 4) How is the document structured?
6.4.1. They were structured into multiple articles, the following show who wrote what: Alexander Hamilton (51 articles: No. 1, 6–9, 11–13, 15–17, 21–36, 59–61, and 65–85) James Madison (26 articles: No. 10, 14, 37–58 and 62–63) John Jay (5 articles: No. 2–5 and 64). No. 18–20 were the result of a collaboration between Madison and Hamilton.
6.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
6.5.1. 1. series of 85 essays arguing in support of the United States Constitution 2. Seventy-seven of the essays were published as a series in The Independent Journal, The New York Packet, and The Daily Advertiser 3. They weren't originally known as the "Federalist Papers," but just "The Federalist." 4. Alexander Hamilton was the force behind the project. 5. At the time of publication, the authorship of the articles was a closely guarded secret.
7. Antifederalist Papers
7.1. 1) What is the general purpose of this document?
7.1.1. The arguments against ratification of the Federalist Papers appeared in various forms, by various authors, most of whom used a pseudonym. Collectively, these writings have become known as the Anti-Federalist Papers.
7.2. 2) Who was responsible for writing this document?
7.2.1. Although there is no canonical list anti-federalist authors, major authors include Cato (likely George Clinton), Brutus (likely Robert Yates), Centinel (Samuel Bryan), and the Federal Farmer
7.3. 3) What time frame was/is the document significant?
7.3.1. During the period from the drafting and proposal of the federal Constitution in September, 1787, to its ratification in 1789 there was an intense debate on ratification.
7.4. 4) How is the document structured?
7.4.1. In multiple articles created by many different people.
7.5. 5) What are the top 5 most important things we need to know about this document?
7.5.1. 1. One notable collection of anti-federalist writings was compiled by Morton Borden and published by Michigan State University Press in 1965. 2. In the ratification debate, the Anti-Federalists opposed to the Constitution. 3. They complained that the new system threatened liberties, and failed to protect individual rights. The Anti-Federalists weren't exactly a united group, but instead involved many elements. 4. One faction opposed the Constitution 5. During the push for ratification, many of the articles in opposition were written under pseudonyms