THE DOCUMENTS THAT STARTED IT ALL

The Documents That Started It All

For nearly a millennium, societies have attempted to put forth ideals later captured by the American system. In 1215, nobles from England wrote the Magna Carta. Centuries later, the English Pilgrims created the Mayflower Compact in 1620. All who signed this document consented to laws voted upon by the majority. in exchange for protection & survival.

The people of the 13 colonies decided to revolt, and The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. The declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.

During the war that followed (the Revolutionary War), the colonists ruled themselves through an organization called the Continental Congress. After England was defeated, the former colonists wrote the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The Constitution was designed to compromise between the need for autonomy of the individual states and the need for a strong central government.

The U.S. Constitution listed the powers of the states & the powers. of the federal government & set up the system of government that we have described above. To further protect the rights of individuals, the founding fathers wrote the first 10 amendments to the Constitution in 1791. These have come to be known as the Bill of Rights. They include freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to a trial by jury, protection against illegal search & seizure, and protection against cruel & unusual punishment.

Documents Vocabulary

Magna Carta- a document signed by King John of England in 1215 establishing that the King was subject to the same laws as citizens.

Mayflower Compact- a document written by male passengers of the Mayflower setting up how their settlement would govern itself

Declaration of Independence - a document outlining England's abuses of power and declaring the American colony's independence from the British Empire. 

The Revolutionary War- the war fought by American colonists for independence from Britain, 1775-1783

Continental Congress- organization of representatives from the 13 American colonies that issued the Declaration of Independence in 1776

U.S. Constitution - the founding document of the U.S. Government

Bill of Rights-first 10 amendments or additions to the U.S. Constitution