American
Historical Documents
This page includes links to all of the American
historical documents
that are mentioned anywhere in this website. Revolutionary War
documents, letters, proclamations, newspaper articles, etc. Just click
on the link to read the full text of each document. In some cases there
is a picture of the document as well.
Some of these documents are British
documents that affected the American Revolution and America's early
history.
American
Historical Documents - 1744
Rules
of Civility by George Washington - 1744 A list of
proverbs and maxims written down by George Washington as a boy of 16.
American
Historical Documents - 1765
Quartering
Act of 1765 - May 15, 1765 An act that angered
Americans, which required them to house and feed British troops.
American
Historical Documents - 1768
Circular
Letter from Massachusetts House of Representatives - February 11, 1768
This letter was drafted by Samuel Adams and was one of the
first
public challenges of King George III and the British Parliament.
Resolutions of the Boston Town Meeting - September 13, 1768
This resolution was passed by the citizens of Boston in
response to British troops being stationed in their city.
American
Historical Documents - 1769
Mysteries
of Government - February 27, 1769 An
article published by Samuel Adams discussing the rights of British
citizens.
American
Historical Documents - 1772
The
Rights of the Colonists - November 20, 1772 A
document by Samuel Adams stating the rights of the colonists as British
citizens.
American
Historical Documents - 1774
Boston
Port Act - March 31, 1774 This act of the British
Parliament sealed off Boston Harbor with a fleet of warships in
response to the Boston Tea Party.
William
Hooper letter to James Iredell - April 26, 1774
In this letter, future Declaration of Independence signer
William
Hooper of North Carolina makes the first prediction of American
independence, earning him the title "Prophet of Independence."
Circular
Letter of the Boston Committee of Correspondence - May 13, 1774
This letter is a request to all the other colonies to join in a boycott
of all British goods in response to the Boston Port Act that closed
Boston harbor.
Quartering
Act of 1774 - June 2, 1774 The second quartering
act which required American's to house and feed British soldiers.
A
Summary View of the Rights of British America by Thomas Jefferson -
July 1774
Declaration
and Resolves of the First Continental Congress - October 14, 1774 First
Continental Congress' response to England's treatment, their list of
grievances and plans for the future.
Letter
to the Inhabitants of the Province of Quebec - October 26, 1774
Letter from Congress asking Quebec to join in the rebellion against
England.
American
Historical Documents - 1775
Olive
Branch Petition - June 5, 1775
John
Adams letter to James Warren - July 24, 1775 This
is the letter that was captured and published by the British, revealing
America's continued war preparations in spite of their plea for peace
in the Olive Branch Petition.
John
Adams letter to Abigail Adams - July 24, 1775
This letter was also captured by the British.
Address
to the Assembly of Jamaica - July 25, 1775
In this address, the Congress seeks to explain its position
at
the beginning of the Revolutionary War to the inhabitants of Jamaica.
King
George III's Rebellion Proclamation - August 23, 1775
Robert
Penn and Arthur Lee letter to Congress - September 2, 1775 Robert
Penn and Arthur Lee letter to Congress - September 2, 1775 This letter
informs the Congress that the king refused to refuse the Olive Branch
Petition.
Abigail
Adams letter to John Adams - November 12, 1775
Abigail reveals American anger toward the British government
after the king refused to receive the Olive Branch Petition.
Congress'
response to King George's rejection of the Olive Branch Petition -
December 6, 1775
American
Historical Documents - 1776
Common
Sense by Thomas Paine - January 10, 1776
Instructions
for Georgia Delegates to the Continental Congress - April 5, 1776 This
is the Georgia Council of Safety's instructions to its Delegates to
Congress shortly before the Declaration of Independence.
Halifax
Resolves - April 12, 1776
Passed by North Carolina, the Resolves were the first
official
instructions from any colony authorizing its delegates to Congress to
vote for independence from Great Britain.
Preamble
and Resolution of the Virginia Convention - May 15, 1776 This
is the resolution that ordered the Virginia delegates to the
Continental Congress to propose a resolution that the united colonies
ought to be "free and independent States, absolved from all allegiance
to, or dependence upon, the Crown or Parliament of Great Britain."
Joseph
Hewes letter to James Iredell - May 17, 1776 - Letter
discussing efforts of the Congress to equip the Continental Army.
Lee
Resolution - June 7, 1776 This
is the resolution that proposed that the united colonies declare
themselves free and independent states from Great Britain.
Virginia
Declaration of Rights by George Mason and Thomas Ludwell Lee - June 12,
1776
Joseph
Hewes letter to James Iredell - June 28, 1776 - Letter
discussing Hewes' confidence in the upcoming vote for independence.
Thomas
Jefferson's draft Constitution for the State of Virginia - June 1776
Original
unedited draft of the Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson -
June 1776
The
only existing fragment of Thomas Jefferson's original draft of the
Declaration of Independence - June 1776
Original
Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence - June 1776
This is the Declaration text after it had
been edited by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. This is the version
the Committee of Five submitted to Congress.
The
Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776
This is the final approved version by Congress.
List
of current copy holders of existing, original Dunlap Broadsides of the
Declaration of Independence
Chronological
list of locations the Declaration of Independence has been stored
John
Hancock letter to George Washington - July 6, 1776 This
letter was sent by John Hancock to General Washington with a copy of
the new Declaration of Independence and instructions to read it to his
troops.
American
Independence - August 1, 1776 - Speech
delivered by Samuel Adams at the State House in
Philadelphia.
American
Historical Documents - 1781
Articles
of Confederation - March 1, 1781 The Articles of
Confederation were the first official "constitution" governing the
thirteen United States.
Notes
on the State of Virginia - 1781-1782 Thomas
Jefferson's only published work.
American
Historical Documents - 1787
The
Virginia Plan - May 29, 1787 The Virginia
Delegation proposed this plan to the Constitutional Convention, which
laid out the basic outline for the new Constitution.
American
Historical Documents - 1788
George
Washington letter to the Marquis de Lafayette - April 28, 1788
This letter discusses the nation's debate over whether or not
to accept the new Constitution.
James
Madison letter to Thomas Jefferson - October 17, 1788
A letter in cipher that discusses the pros and cons of adding
a Bill of Rights to the Constitution.
American
Historical Documents - 1789
George
Washington's First Inaugural Address - April 30, 1789
James
Madison speech to Congress - June 8, 1789 In this
speech, James Madison proposes twenty Amendments to the Constitution,
which later became the Bill of Rights.
Twelve
Amendments proposed by Congress - September 25, 1789
These are the original Amendments to the Constitution
proposed by Congress.
George
Washington Thanksgiving Proclamation - October 3, 1789
James
Madison letter to George Washington - December 5, 1789 Madison's
letter reveals the struggle between different factions to accept or
reject the new Constitution.
American
Historical Documents - 1791
Bill
of Rights - December 15, 1791 The first ten
Amendments to the US Constitution.
American
Historical Documents - 1792
Property
by James Madison - March 29, 1792 A short essay
about the government's responsibility to protect personal property.
American
Historical Documents - 1793
Proclamation
of Neutrality by George Washington - April 22, 1793
American
Historical Documents - 1795
Proclamation
of Fasting and Prayer by Samuel Adams - February 28, 1795
American
Historical Documents - 1796
George
Washington's Farewell Address - September 19, 1796
American
Historical Documents - 1801
Thomas
Jefferson First Inaugural Address - March 1, 1801
American
Historical Documents - 1821
Thomas
Jefferson's personal account of writing the Declaration of Independence
- January 6, 1821
Autobiography
of Thomas Jefferson - January 6, 1821
Current
version of the Constitution of the United States of America
American
Historical Documents
- The Following Documents are important British
Documents that influenced the creation of the United States and its
ideals:
Magna Carta - 1215 AD First British
document requiring the monarch to obey written laws.
English
Habeas Corpus Act of 1679
English
Bill of Rights - 1689