Education on the US Constitution
We are pleased to announce the following events in which you can participate.
Explore some of the key moments and events that have helped shape the course of US political and constitutional development.
At a Constitutional Convention in 1787, delegates devised a plan for a federal government with three branches—executive, legislative and judicial—along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no single branch would have too much power. The Bill of Rights added 10 amendments which specifically listed protections for things such as freedom of speech, religion, bearing arms and variety of other potential government over-reaches. In a most revolutionary way, this document formed a Republic which fundamentally limited government’s power and protected our natural rights.
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Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in April 1775 kicked off the conflict in Massachusetts. By the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence across most of the Eastern seaboard. At a disadvantage in every strategic sense, George Washington and his Generals were forced to retreat a number of times, surviving just long enough to earn a few key victories and secure much needed French assistance.
After years of hard fought battles, starvation and even disease, Washington and the Continental Army forced the British surrender at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781. Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.
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After years of Britain violating a variety of individual rights, representatives of the 13 colonies in America decided they’d had enough. They drafted a document to clarify reasons the American colonies were seceding from Britain and publicly announced the separation. With this Declaration, the founders committed treason and incited war with the world’s dominant super power.
Most importantly, the Declaration of Independence summarized a philosophical approach to life and government rooted in the defense of individual rights. It was an incredibly radical statement for any group to make, and it became the inspiration for the American War for Independence, Constitution and the United States that followed after years of battle.
Here is that world-changing text.
Read MoreNews, headlines and great articles from a variety of sources.
By: Bob Fiedler It has become commonplace for people to explain the current condition of the United States with allusions to the decline of the Roman Empire. But few talk about a more
By: Mike Maharrey On this date in 1787, James Wilson delivered a speech written by Benjamin Franklin on the last day of the Philadelphia Convention. The speech urged the adoption of
By: TJ Martinell One of the most famous and important Supreme Court opinions is from the 1819 McCulloch v. Maryland case. It set the stage for massive expansion of federal power by i
By: Mike Maharrey Big Brother has hacked the Constitution. It has been over nine years since Edward Snowden released the first documents exposing the extent of NSA spying to the world.
By: Rob Natelson Many Americans complain when the courts allow Congress and federal officials to violate the Constitution. Why does that happen? There are several reasons, but here’s
By: Michael Boldin The impulse from many – left, right, libertarian, and the rest – to give the federal government more power to “protect liberty” from state and local governme
By: Mike Maharrey More and more people are nullifying federal marijuana prohibition through individual human action. Cannabis use has risen to record levels with more people now smokin
By: Mike Maharrey From the earliest days of the republic, politicians have used fear to expand government power. This was the strategy the Federalist Party used to get a standing army.
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