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Thomas Jefferson wrote
the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. Adopted by the
second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 (but not signed until
later), it crystallized the political philosophy of the American
people and set forth a list of grievances against the British king.
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 On
May 14, 1787, delegates gathered in Philadelphia to revise the
Articles of Confederation, drafted 10 years earlier, into the
framework of an entirely new government. The U.S. Constitution has
been amended numerous times. In this transcription, hyperlinks to
specific amendments identify the passages that were changed.
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 The
Federalist Papers were written and published between 1787 and 1788
in several New York state newspapers to persuade voters to ratify
the proposed Constitution. The Federalist Papers contains 85 essays
advocating the Constitution over the Articles of Confederation,
while outlining how the new government would operate. All of the
essays were
signed "PUBLIUS" -- with the primary authors being Alexander
Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay. The Federalist Papers are well
known to be "THE" primary foundational study for anyone interested
in learning about the United States Government and the U.S.
Constitution.
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 The
Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments to the
U.S. Constitution. Proposed by the First Congress in 1789, these
amendments were insisted upon by opponents of the Constitution who
feared tyranny by the federal government.
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Amendments to the Constitution
Amendments 11 thru 27.
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