George Washington Gives Nations 1st State of the Union Address: “A free people ought not only to be armed, but disciplined…”
On January 8, 1790, President George Washington delivered to Congress the first State of the Union address in American history. This address presented defense, foreign policy, economic, education, and immigration related topics to gathered representatives and senators in Federal Hall, New York City. Fellow Citizens of the Senate, and House of Representatives. I embrace with great satisfaction the opportunity, which now presents itself, of congratulating you ...
The Bill of Rights was Passed by Congress to Protect the Civil Liberties of American Citizens and Prevent the Government from Abusing Power
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, strongly influenced Madison. One of the many points of contention between Federalists and Anti-Federalists was the Constitution’s lack of a bill ...
French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
This document, approved by the National Assembly, codifies the ideals of the French Revolution, strongly influenced by those of the Enlightenment and the American Revolution. The Marquis de Lafayette, with help from Thomas Jefferson, drafted the declaration that would become the preamble of the republic's 1791 constitution. The basic principle of the Declaration was that all “men are born and remain free and equal in rights” (Article 1), which ...
James Madison’s Speech to the First Congress Proposing Twenty Amendments to the United States Constitution
In this James Madison speech to the First Congress, Madison proposes twenty amendments to the United States Constitution. The Constitution's acceptance by the people of America had not been easy. Many people did not think it adequately protected their rights from infringement by the government. In order to persuade these people, known as Anti-Federalists, to accept the Constitution, the Federalist party promised they would add a ...
James Madison: “The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established…”
INITIAL FIRST AMENDMENT PROPOSALS OF JAMES MADISON, JUNE 8, 1789: “The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext infringed.” (Annals of the Congress of the United States - First Congress, Washington DC: Gales & Seaton, ...
William Wilberforce gives His Passionate “Abolition Speech” to the House of Commons to Convince them that Slavery Must be Abolished
William Wilberforce was a member of the British Parliament who converted to Christianity and later became an abolitionist. As a Christian, he sought to reform the evils within himself and the world and since one of the glaring moral issues of his day was slavery, he read up on the subject and met some anti-slavery activists. On May 12, 1789, he delivered his Abolition Speech before ...
George Washington Writes his Circular Letter to the States upon Retiring as General of the Armies
By the summer of 1783, the newly formed United States had won the War of Independence, but the survival of the nation remained far from certain. A final peace treaty with Great Britain had yet to be signed, the state governments remained hesitant to yield to Congress’ authority, and the army restlessly waited to be mustered out of service. A few months prior, several officers had threatened ...
The Declaration of Independence Approved by Congress as 56 Courageous Signers “Pledge… Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor.”
When the First Continental Congress adjourned in October of 1774, the delegates agreed to meet again in Philadelphia on May 5, 1775. Between the First and the Second Continental Congress, many events happened that increased the tensions between the British and the Colonists. The battles of Lexington and Concord, the Colonist defeat in Quebec. The Colonists tried to establish their rights and to fight against the British oppressive taxation ...
The First American Abolition Society was Formed in Philadelphia. Thomas Paine, Benjamin Rush, & Ben Franklin were Among its Mostly Quaker Membership
The Society for the Relief of Free Negroes Unlawfully Held in Bondage was the first American abolition society. It was founded April 14, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and held four meetings. Seventeen of the 24 men who attended initial meetings of the Society were Quakers, that is, members of the Religious Society of Friends. Thomas Paine was also among the Society's founders. It was reorganized in ...
Alexander Hamilton: The sacred rights of mankind…are written, as with a sun beam… by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.”
When Loyalist writings began to appear in New York newspapers in 1775, nineteen-year-old Hamilton responded with an essay defending the colonists' right of revolution. Still a student at King's College, he followed up with this second pamphlet, expanding his argument on the purpose of legitimate government. The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as ...
