Clifford Berryman's political cartoon "Separated," published in the Washington Post, illustrates the congressional debate over Puerto Rican governance. Following its acquisition from Spain after the Spanish-American War, the question was whether Puerto Rico should be subject to the U.S.
This bill, created in December 1689, was an original act of the English Parliament that established the principles of free elections, frequent parliaments, and freedom of speech within parliament, which is now known as Parliamentary Privilege. The main principles of the English Bill of Rights are…
There are 27 amendments to the Constitution. Approximately 11,985 measures have been proposed to amend the Constitution from 1789 through January 3, 2025. The number of proposed amendments to the Constitution is an approximation for several reasons. Inadequate indexing in the early years…
There are currently twenty-seven amendments that are a part of the United States Constitution since the Constitution was enacted on March 4th, 1789. The first ten amendments include the Bill of Rights, which were adopted and ratified at the same time. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are known…
Due to pressure from Southern politicians, the 1793 fugitive slave act was revisited and reintroduced in 1850 with harsher penalties for helpers who harbored and more imposed laws on the enslaved. A group of bills was proposed to help quiet the rise of southern succession.
In Federalist No. 46, James Madison discusses whether the state or federal level of government will receive more popular support. He believes that the American people will be more attached to their state governments than the federal government and that the federal government will not encroach into…
This data table lists the names, states, places of birth, birth dates, death dates, occupation, religion, and whether or not the person signed the U.S. Constitution.
Charles Beard, a leading historian and political scientist from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, wrote the book, "An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States," to study the motivations of the Founding Fathers in drafting the U.S. Constitution. He observed…
Federalist No. 1 serves as the introduction to the Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton and published under the alias "Publius." In Federalist No. 1, Hamilton discusses his ideas regarding the debate surrounding the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. He emphasizes…
The U.S. Constitution established the United States of America as a federal presidential republic and acts as the supreme law of the country. It established the framework for the federal government, creating three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches. It succeeded the…
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans' rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
Federalist No. 10 was written by James Madison as the tenth of The Federalist Papers, a series of essays initiated by Alexander Hamilton arguing for the ratification of the United States Constitution. It was first published in The Daily Advertiser (New York) on November 22, 1787, under the name…
<p><span class="deck">The battle smoke of the Revolution had scarcely cleared when desperate economic conditions in Massachusetts led former patriots to rise against the government they had created. The fear this event aroused played an important part in shaping the new Constitution of the United States</span></p>
<p>After the Revolution, Washington returned to farming at Mount Vernon but eventually called for that he wished a “Convention of the People” to establish a “Federal Constitution”</p>
<p>It's the only industrial nation in which the possession of rifles, shotguns, and handguns is lawfully prevalent among large numbers of its population.</p>
<p><span class="deck"> Did the fifty-five statesmen meeting in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention know that a witch-hunt was taking place while they deliberated? Did they care?</span> </p>
<p><span class="deck">The framers of the Constitution were proud of what they had done but might be astonished that their words still carry so much weight. A distinguished scholar tells us how the great charter has survived and flourished.</span></p>
<p><span class="deck">A recent British ambassador to Washington takes a generous-spirited but clear-eyed look at the document that, as he points out, owes its existence to King George III</span></p>
<p><span class="deck"> After a summer of debate, three of the delegates in Philadelphia could not bring themselves to put their names to the document they had worked so hard to create</span> </p>
<p><span class="deck">Every one of the founders was a historian who believed that only history could protect us from tyranny and coercion. In their reactions to the long, bloody pageant of the English past, we can see the framers’ intentions.</span></p>
<p><span class="deck">Without major compromises by all involved, and the agreement to avoid the contentious issue of slavery, the framers would never have written and ratified the Constitution.</span></p>
<p><span class="deck">At five critical junctures in American history, major political compromises have proved that little of lasting consequence can occur if the entrenched sides don't make serious concessions.</span></p>
<p>It has been called one of the most consequential debates in American history. The Revolution's greatest orator later fought to stop ratification of the Constitution because of his worries about the powers proposed for the federal government.</p>
<p>Taft is remembered for emphasizing constitutional restraint as president, but he also set aside more public lands and brought more anti-trust suits than his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt. And he set the standard for integrity and personal conduct in the White House.</p>
<p>The first ten amendments prevent majorities from exercising power at the expense of individuals. But they weren’t called a “bill of rights” until more than a century after ratification.</p>
<p>To find out what the Founding generation said about "well-regulated militias" and the right to bear arms, we researched all the colonial and state constitutions enacted before 1791.</p>
<p>A leading expert who helped a dozen nations write their constitutions explains how the Founders' ideas have had a lasting influence at home and abroad.</p>
<p>Our greatest Chief Justice defined the Constitution and ensured that the rule of law prevailed at a time of presidential overreach and bitter political factionalism.</p>
<p>Some of the most important essays on gun rights, gun culture, and the meaning of the Second Amendment have appeared in <em>American Heritage </em>over the last 50 years.</p>
