American Historical Documents
The Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of Independence is the document in which the Thirteen Colonies
declared themselves independent of the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained
their justifications for doing so. It was ratified by the Continental Congress
on July 4, 1776; this anniversary is celebrated as Independence Day in the
United States. The document is on display in the National Archives in
Washington, DC. The independence of the American colonies was recognized by
Great Britain on September 3, 1783, by the Treaty of Paris.
Constitution of the United
States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of
America and is the oldest codified written national constitution still in force.
It was completed on September 17, 1787, with its adoption by the Constitutional
Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was later ratified by special
conventions called for that purpose in each of the then-existing thirteen
American states. It created a more unified government in place of what was then
a group of semi-independent states operating under the Articles of
Confederation. It took effect in 1789 and has served as a model for the
constitutions of numerous other nations.
The original copy of the Constitution is on permanent display at the National
Archives in Washington, D.C.
The Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution are know as the Bill of
Rights.
During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution,
its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution
as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the
central government. Fresh in their minds was the
memory of the British violation of civil rights
before and during the Revolution. They demanded
a "bill of rights" that would spell
out the immunities of individual citizens. Several
state conventions in their formal ratification
of the Constitution asked for such amendments;
others ratified the Constitution with the understanding
that the amendments would be offered.
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of
the United States therefore proposed to the state
legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution
that met arguments most frequently advanced against
it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned
the number of constituents for each Representative
and the compensation of Congressmen, were not
ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified
by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute
the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known
as the Bill of Rights.
Amendments 11-27
Amendments 11 through 27.
The Constitution has a total of 27 amendments. However, since the first ten of
the amendments, collectively known as the
Bill of Rights,
were ratified simultaneously, it has in effect only been amended 18 times. This
relatively small number is usually attributed to the simplicity and flexibility
of the document. The Constitution of the United States is written in broad
terms that are continually reinterpreted by the courts.
