Historic Documents
“It is the duty of every good citizen to use all the opportunities which occur to him, for preserving documents relating to the history of our country.” —Thomas Jefferson, 1823
Founding Documents
The Continental Association · The Declaration of Independence · The Articles of Confederation
Foundations of the West (Ancient-1492)
The Code of Hammurabi · The Ten Commandments · The Constitutions of Clarendon
Exploration and the Colonial Era (1492-1765)
Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher Columbus · The Letter of Columbus to Luis De Sant Angel Announcing His Discovery · A Letter from Christopher Columbus to the King and Queen of Spain
Independence and the Early State (1765-1789)
Resolutions of the Stamp Act · Anonymous Account of the Boston Massacre · Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
Antebellum America (1789-1860)
Federal Judiciary Act · George Washington’s First Inaugural Address · George Washington: First Thanksgiving Proclamation
Secession and War (1860-1865)
South Carolina Declaration of Secession · Constitution of the Confederate States of America · Declaration of Causes of Seceding States
Reconstruction and Westward Expansion (1865-1914)
Associate Justice David Davis: Ex parte Milligan · Frederick Douglas: Appeal to Congress for Impartial Suffrage · Treaty of Fort Laramie
The Modern State and Foreign Engagement (1914-1945)
Anna Howard Shaw: The Fundamental Principle of a Republic · Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 · Woodrow Wilson: Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Germany
Cold War, Cultural Upheaval, and the Reagan Era (1945-1991)
Winston Churchill’s ‘Iron Curtain’ Speech · Participation in UNESCO · Truman Doctrine
Contemporary America (1991-Present)
George H.W. Bush: Statement Announcing Operation Desert Storm · Lawrence E. Walsh: Executive Summary of the Final Report of the Iran-Contra Investigation · George H. W. Bush’s Farewell Address
Party Platforms
2016 Democratic Platform · 2016 Republican Platform · 1840 Democratic Platform
Long-Form Works
The Second Treatise of Government · Thomas Paine: Common Sense · The Federalist Papers · The Federalist Papers (Modern Language Interpretation) — read chapter by chapter.