ENA - Foundational Documents

In 1776, when a committee of five was selected by the Second Continental Congress to write the document, John Adams entrusted young Thomas Jefferson, a delegate from Virginia, to write the draft. At 33, Jefferson was the youngest delegate to the Congress, but he was known to be good with a pen. While a delegate to the Virginia House of Burgesses, he had written a pamphlet, "A Summary View of the Rights of British America," arguing that Americans did not need to be bound by the British monarchy, and thereby established himself as a great thinker and writer.

Jefferson was a fascinating figure. Born in what is now Albemarle County, Virginia, he attended The College of William and Mary and later studied law. He read books and wrote letters constantly in his free time and became interested in almost every topic he encountered. His home, Monticello, and many of the fixtures within it were designed by himself as an amateur architect; a visit to this National Historic Landmark and World Heritage Site is well worth the trip.

Though Jefferson would later serve as Governor of Virginia, minister to France, Vice President to John Adams, and third President of the United States, on his tombstone he requested only three accomplishments be listed: "Author of the Declaration of American Independence, [Author] of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia." Considering his profound and lasting contributions to the United States, it's a wonder Jefferson was able to choose at all from among his many accomplishments!

After being assigned the task of drafting the Declaration, Jefferson spent the next two weeks writing alone in his hotel room. He then showed his work to Franklin and Adams. They made only minor changes before presenting the document to Congress, but Congress was not so accepting. Congress debated for several days and made many changes, in particular the deletion of a large section condemning slavery in the New World. Please see the links below on this deleted section.

Reading Assignment

It is now time for you to read the Declaration of Independence. You will find several links below, including the final draft, Jefferson's draft, and the draft presented to Congress. Finally, a link to a comparison of the three drafts is included to help you see the changes all at once. Pay close attention to the persuasive techniques Jefferson uses. How does he establish the credibility of the united colonies? How does he build a logical argument point by point? How does he paint a sympathetic picture using descriptive language and detail? As you examine the differences among the drafts, consider the varying perspectives, needs, and interests of the colonies represented. Why were specific words likely inserted or changed? What effect would each revision make on the whole declaration? Why would delegates insist that certain statements be deleted?

The Declaration of Independence  Text Link Links to an external site.

The Declaration of Independence Rough Draft Text Link Links to an external site.

The Declaration of Independence Committee Draft Text Link Links to an external site.

Comparison of Three Drafts Text Link Links to an external site.

The U.S. Constitution

Despite the battlefield defeat of Britain in 1781 and the Treaty of Paris officially ending the Revolutionary War in 1783, the United States did not immediately become a strong, unified world power. In fact, the original Articles of Confederation under which the new nation was governed were not even strong enough to fulfill the basic functions of government. A change was needed.

Please watch this video, "The Making of the American Constitution," for background on the creation of the U.S. Constitution, which was modeled on a document written by James Madison.

Next, please watch this video, "Why Wasn't the Bill of Rights Originally in the U.S. Constitution?" It will give you a better understanding of the origin of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Reading Assignment

It is now time for you to read the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the seventeen amendments that have since been added. You will find several links below to these documents, as well as to audio versions if you would like to listen while you read along. As you read, try to put yourself in the place of the framers of the Constitution. Ask yourself the following questions: How are the concerns and recent experiences of the new nation's leaders captured in these documents? How do they balance the rights of individuals and the needs of a community? How do they handle the competing interests of individual states and the nation as a whole? What specific powers do these documents grant to the federal government, the state governments, individuals? Where is the language vague and where is it detailed? Why?

When you are finished studying the Constitution and its amendments, take the Constitution IQ Quiz.

After studying these foundational documents of the United States, it should be clear that our union only came into existence through the hard work, debate, compromise, and rhetorical power of our founding fathers. It should be equally clear how important the step of REVISION is to the writing process. Our forefathers understood the importance and power of writing to change the world, and they labored over every word!

U.S. Constitution Text Link Links to an external site.

Bill of Rights Text Link Links to an external site.

The Constitution: Amendments Text Link Links to an external site.

Constitution IQ Quiz Links to an external site.

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.