American History of the Discovery and Pre-Colonial
Period
- 1492
Exhibit
- Columbus, from the Library of Congress.
American
History of the Colonial Period
- From Revolution
to Reconstruction
- Online texts in American History, with links to many
primary sources. Very useful to see what was actually written
or stated.
- William
Penn
- An examination of the person who founded as a "Holy
Experiment", the state of Pennsylvania, and concluded the
"Great treaty" with the Delaware (American Indians).
- Puritanism
& Colonial Period: to 1700
- Resources for a literature course include several important
documents of the Great Awakening.
- Models
for Reformation: Jonathan Edwards, The First Great Awakening
- Jonathan Edwards, sometimes known as the postmillennialist's
postmillennialist, is best known for his role in the Great Awakening,
which began as a revival in several churches along the Connecticut
River Valley.
- Puritanism
in New England
- Brief overview of Puritanism as it existed in the Colonies.
- Plymouth:
It's History and People
- Information related to the people (i.e., Puritans, etc)
who settled in Plymouth, Mass.
- What
is a Puritan?
- Defined by a sympathetic contemporary.
- A
Walking Tour of Plimoth Plantation
- See what life was like in a Puritan village.
How
did we get the American Democratic Ideas
- The
English Bill of Rights
- Excerpts from the 1689 English law: An Act Declaring
the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession
of the Crown.
- English
Bill of Rights
- Complete text of the 1689 English law: An Act Declaring
the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession
of the Crown.
- Eighteenth-Century
Studies
- A major collection of links to the most famous people
of the Enlightenment.
- Eighteenth-Century
Resources -- History
- Another major collection of links to the most famous
people of the Enlightenment.
- Liberty
Library of Constutional Classics
- The following is a list, many with links to the actual
full text, of classic books and other works on constitutional
government.
- Readings:
The Enlightenment
- Links to some of the major books and documents by the
greats of the Enlightenment.
- The
Age of Enlightenment: Paintings
- The Enlightenment produced its own style of painting,
and you can see some examples at this website.
- Voltaire:
A Treatise on Toleration
- Another of the major writings of the Enlightenment, which
affected the American system of government.
- Magna
Carta and Its American Legacy
- The National Archives and Records Administration offers
this excellent explanation of the Magna Carta as it relates to
U.S. laws and democratic ideas. Also as a link to the text of
the Magna Carta.
- The
Magna Carta
- "The source of it all...." This is the words
of the Magna Carta, the historic British document, the contract
that had a such a big influence on the concept of American democracy,
and the U.S. Constitution.
- Historical
Documents of Great Britain
- Collection of primary source historical documents from
the British Isles, from the earliest times through the present:
Magna Carta, parliamentary addresses, political statements by
thinkers and leaders, philosophical writings, and more.
- Jefferson
Quotes on Politics & Government
- A large collection of Thomas Jefferson's quotes on Politics
& Government, with links to other Web Pages of interest to
the basic ideas of democracy and government. Has over 1,500 excerpts
from Jefferson's writings.
- Plato's
Apology
- This hypertext edition of Plato's Apology was written
for students taking their first philosophy course at Clarke College,
Dubuque, Iowa.
- Plato:
Works
- A collection of works with commentary, by the Greek philosopher,
Plato. The Republic in particular has many ideas which eventually
influenced Enlightenment thinkers, and the rise of democratic
ideas. The famous "Allegory of the Cave" is found here,
in The Republic.
- Plato
(Perseus Encyclopedia)
- Biography and philosophical background on the Greek philosopher,
Plato. Includes links to his writings. A very informative essay,
with many links to primary sources, related ideas and people.
- Aristotle
(Perseus Encyclopedia)
- Biography and philosophical background on the Greek philosopher,
Aristotle. Includes links to his writings. A very informative
essay, with many links to primary sources, related ideas and
people.
- The
"Glorious Revolution"
- Helpful, brief overview of the "Glorious Revolution",
with links to related information and people who were part of
it.
- The
Glorious revolution
- Another brief overview of the "Glorious Revolution".
- St.
Thomas More
- Biographical and philosophical information on St. Thomas
More, of England. This information is taken from the Catholic
Encyclopedia on the Web.
- John
Locke: Essays
- Essays by British philosopher, John Locke: Concerning
Civil Government, and An Essay Concerning The True Original Extent
and End of Civil Government.
Declaring Independence,
and The Constitution
- Declaring
Independence
- The time-line and background on the American Declaration
of Independence from Great Britain are presented here, with images
and explanation of the key people and their contributions to
this historic document.
- Charters
of Freedom
- Exhibition (including background information) on the
documents that are the foundation of U.S. laws and rights: The
Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of
Rights. (Amendments 1-10)
- The
Constitution Page
- A useful collection of information about the U.S. Constitution,
its writers and the processes used to create it.
- About
the Constitution of the United States
- Article from the Library of Congress: "The Constitution
defines the fundamental law of the United States federal government,
setting forth the three principal branches of the federal government,
outlining their jurisdictions, and propounding the basic rights
of U.S. citizens."
- Search
The Constitution and Other Historical Documents
- Allows searching of The U.S. Constitution, Federalist
Papers, Declaration of Independence, and other early U.S. historical
documents.
- Documents
from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention
- The Continental Congress Broadside Collection (253 titles)
and the Constitutional Convention Broadside Collection (21 titles)
contain 274 documents relating to the work of Congress and the
drafting and ratification of the Constitution, plus similar primary
sources.
- The
Miracle At Philadelphia
- Description of the Constitutional Convention of 1787
as a news reporter would write it.
- De
Tocqueville: The Federal Constitution
- A chapter from the great commentary, Democracy In America,
by Alexis de Tocqueville, the French writer who visited America
shortly after its founding.
- U.S.
Historic Documents
- Historic Documents from the United States, at the University
of Kansas Electronic Library.
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