Shelbie Plautz: Important Documents That Shaped and Built the Government During the American Revolution and the New Nation
By splautz123
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documents
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John Locke's Two Treatises of Government-Part 1
John Locke wrote The Two Treatisies of Government in 1690. Although it was written many years before the American Revolution, it served as a model to constitutional government. Locke wrote of people's inherent rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of property". He believed that government should be run by the people it governed. He wrote about natural rights and the freedom and equality of all men. These documents created the foundation for the theory of human rights. -
John Locke's Two Treatisies of Government-Part 2
In regards to the American Revolution, one of Locke's most influential ideas was that people have a right to rebel against a ruler or government that betrays them and takes away their civil rights. Many of America's founding fathers read and admired Locke's writings. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and the American Federealists were all influenced by these writings, The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the United States Constituion all contain some -
John Locke's Two Treatisies Of Government-Part 3
of the ideas of freedom and universal rights and how government should protect it's people as Locke descibes in his early writings of the Treatisies (Oakes,105).
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Important Documents That Shaped and Built the Government During the American Revoluton and the New Nation
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Importatnt Documents
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Virginian Declaration of Rights
The Virginian Declaration of Rights was drafted by George Mason in May 1776 as a way for America to gain independence from Britain. It was amended by Thomas Ludwell Lee and the Virginian Convention. This document was extremely influential to Thomas Jefferson when he drafted the Declaration of Independence one month later. James Madison also drew upon this document when creating the Bill of Rights. -
Declaration of Independence Part 2
It was approved in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The main principles of this document included that all people are born with certain fundamental rights, that the government should protect those rights. people have the right to abolish a government that doesn't, and that government should represent the people (Declaration of Indepencence). -
Declaration of Independence Part 1
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson after a committee assigned by congress asked him to. This document was created as a way for America to announce it's freedom from Britain and it's government. It also stated the reasons and principles for seeking independence. It stated that all men are created equal and have the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The Declaration of Independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress. ' -
Articles of Confederation-Part 1
The Articles of Confederation was drafted by John Dickinson in 1777. The purpose of this document was to create a permanent national government. The Articles created a weak central government that left most of the power with the states. The central government could make treaties, tell the states to pay their own expenses, and take care of military and foreign affairs. -
Articles of Confederation-Part 2
In the Articles of Confederation there was not a chief executive but only a congress that had one vote per state. The Articles were not ratified by all thirteen states until March 1, 1781. The Articles were important to the development of American government because it showed how this weak government wasn't working and there was a need for a stronger central government. -
The Treaty of Alliance with France
The Treaty of Alliance with France was signed on February 6, 1778. It's purpose was to create a military alliance between the United States and France against Great Britain. It was negotiated by Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee. The treaty stated that neither France or the United States could agree to a seperate peace with Great Britain. It also made it a condition that America would gain it's independence on any future peace agreements. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, and formally ended the Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. This treaty recognized America as independent and established borders for the new nation. When the British were defeated at Yorktown, peace talks began in Paris in April 1782. Richard Oswarld represented Great Britain and Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Adams and Henry Laurens were the American Peace Commissioners. -
The Federalists Papers
The Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five essays written to convince the states to ratify the Constitution. The essays first were published in New York newspapers in 1787 amd 1788. They were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison but were published anonymously. These essays detailed the intent of the Constitution and interpreted the meaning of its content. -
Northwest Ordinance- Part 1
The Northwest Ordinance was adopted by the Confederation Congress on July 13, 1787. This ordinance is considered one of the most important legislative acts of this Congress. It established a government for the Northwest Territory, which included the future states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin. It outlined the process for admitting states to the Union and guaranteed that the new states would be equal to the original thirteen states (The Library of Congress). -
Northwest Ordinance-Part 2
The Northwest Ordinance also outlawed slavery in this territory. It protected civil liberties such as trial by jury, the right to bail, and freedom of religion. It also banned cruel and unusual punishment.
All of these principles would be used in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights with the exception of the abolishment of slavery. This ordinance was created to form a nation of middle-class farmers who were law abiding, debt paying, and could chose their religion. -
United States Constitution Part-1
The United States Constitution was signed by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia. This document is one of the most important documents created in respect to American government. It established the United States government that still exists today. The Constitutional Convention intend was to create a strong central government that was not included in the Articles of Confederation. -
United States Constitution- Part 2
The United States Constitution included many articles that addressed how the goverment should be run. Some of the provisions included that the president be chosen by electoral college, that there be two houses of congress, that the Constitution be the "supreme law of the land", states have a republican form of government, and the Sumpreme Court will settle disputes between the states (Oakes, 209). -
Alien and Sedition Acts
The Alien and Sedition Acts were signed into law on 1789 by President John Adams These acts were actually four laws passed by the Congress that was controlled by the Federalists to prepare America for a war with France. Congress was trying to silence and weaken the Democatic-Republican Party and prevent it from winning the 1800 election. The acts required fourteen years residency for citizenship, allowed the president to deport aliens that were dangerous, and restricted critical speech. -
Judicial Act of 1789
The Judical Act of 1789 was signed by the first president of the United States, George Washington on September 24, 1789. This act created a federal court system and the postion of attorney general. It was mostly written by Senator Oliver Ellsworth of Conecticut. The Constitution established a Supreme Court in Article III, but gave Congress the power to create lower federal courts. This new court system had limited power and the Supreme Court was still a minor branch of government. -
The Bill Of Rights
[Bill of Rights](www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights)[Bill of Rights](http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights) The Bill of Rights was proposed to the state legislatures by the First Federal Congress on September 25, 1789. It contained twelve amendments to the Constitution. Only Articles three through twelve passed and became the first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill od Rights. The people of America thought some important rights and liberties were not included in the original Constitution. The Amendments included the protection of freedom of speech, religion and press. -
Residence Act
The Residence Act was passed on July 16, 1790, and established a temporary site and a permanent site for the capital of the United States. It designated Philadelphia as the temporary capital for ten years. After ten years, the permanent capital would be a site along the Potomac River, now known as Washington D.C.(The Library of Congress). This Act was a comprimise reached between Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison on where the permanent location of the Federal capital should be.
