Table Of ContentFounding
the Republic
ADVISORYBOARD
RichardB. Bernstein
AssistantEditor,Papers of JohnJay
ColumbiaUniversity
Donald O. Dewey
Professorof Historyand Dean, Natural and Social Sciences
CaliforniaState University,Los Angeles
StephenP. McGrath
Social StudiesCoordinator
New Milford,Connecticut,PublicSchools
StephenL. Schechter
Professorof PoliticalScienceand Directorof the Councilfor Citizenship
Education
Russell Sage College
Garrett Ward Sheldon
Professorof PoliticalScience
ClinchValley Collegeof the Universityof Virginia
FOUNDING
THE REPUBLIC
A Documentary History
Edited by JOHN J. PATRICK
PrimaryDocumentsinAmericanHistoryandContemporaryIssues
GREENWOODPRESS
Westport,Connecticut • London
This work is dedicated with love to my mother,
Elizabeth Lazar Patrick, who dedicated her life
to her children.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
FoundingtheRepublic : adocumentaryhistory / editedbyJohnJ.
Patrick
p. cm.—(PrimarydocumentsinAmericanhistoryand
contemporaryissuesseries,ISSN1069–5605)
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0–313–29226–4(alk.paper)
1. UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—1775–1783—Sources.
2. UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—1783–1809—Sources.
I. Patrick,JohnJ. II. Series.
E210.F68 1995
973.3—dc20 95–7537
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright(cid:2)1995byJohnJ.Patrick
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:95–7537
ISBN:0–313–29226–4
ISSN:1069–5605
Firstpublishedin1995
GreenwoodPress,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Series Foreword xi
Introduction xiii
Chronology of Key Events in the Founding of the United
States of America xix
PART I: The Decision for Independence: Reasons For and
Against Separation from Britain, 1775–1776 1
Document 1: Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of
Taking Up Arms (July 6, 1775) 7
Document 2: Proclamation by the King for Suppressing
Rebellion and Sedition (August 23, 1775) 12
Document 3: Common Sense (Thomas Paine, January 10,
1776) 14
Document 4: The True Interest of America Impartially Stated
(Published Anonymously by The Reverend
Charles Inglis, March 1776) 19
Document 5: Resolution for Independence (June 7, 1776) 24
Document 6: Notes on the Debate in Congress on
Independence (Thomas Jefferson, June 7–
July 4, 1776) 25
Document 7: The Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776) 29
vi Contents
Part II: Making Constitutions for the New American States:
Debates on Models of Good Government,
1776–1780 35
Document 8: The People the Best Governors: Or a Plan of
Government Founded on the Just Principles of
Natural Freedom (Published Anonymously in
New Hampshire, 1776) 41
Document 9: Thoughts on Government: Applicable to the Present
State of the American Colonies (In a Letter from a
Gentleman [John Adams] to His Friend,
April 1776) 45
Document 10: The Virginia Declaration of Rights
(June 12, 1776) 52
Document 11: Preamble to the Pennsylvania Constitution
(August 1776) 56
Document 12: Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights (August
1776) 58
Document 13: The Essex Result (Theophilus Parsons,
Newburyport, Massachusetts, 1778) 61
Document 14: Preamble to the Massachusetts Constitution
(1780) 65
Document 15: The Massachusetts Declaration of Rights (1780) 67
PART III: Problems of Equality and Liberty in the New
American States, 1776–1792 73
Document 16: Letter to John Adams (Abigail Adams,
March 31, 1776) 79
Document 17: Letter to James Sullivan (John Adams,
May 26, 1776) 81
Document 18: Petition Against Slavery to the General Court
of Massachusetts (January 13, 1777) 85
Document 19: Quock Walker’s Case (1783) 87
Document 20: Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious
Assessments (James Madison, June 20, 1785) 89
Document 21: The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
(Thomas Jefferson, January 16, 1786) 94
Contents vii
Document 22: Letter from Three Seneca Leaders to President
George Washington (1790) 97
Document 23: A Sermon Against Slavery (The Reverend
James Dana, September 9, 1791) 99
Document 24: Letter to Thomas Jefferson (Benjamin Banneker,
August 19, 1791) 102
Document 25: Letters to Benjamin Banneker and to the
Marquis de Condorcet (Thomas Jefferson,
August 30, 1791) 106
PART IV: The Crisis of Government Under the Articles of
Confederation, 1781–1787 109
Document 26: The Articles of Confederation (1781) 115
Document 27: Circular Letter to the State Governors (George
Washington, June 8, 1783) 125
Document 28: Letter to Samuel Adams (Richard Henry Lee,
March 14, 1785) 127
Document 29: Letter to George Washington (John Jay,
June 27, 1786) 129
Document 30: Letter to John Jay (George Washington,
August 1, 1786) 131
Document 31: Proceedings of the State Commissioners at
Annapolis, Maryland (September 11–14, 1786) 133
Document 32: Letter to Edward Carrington (Thomas
Jefferson, January 16, 1787) 136
Document 33: Letter to James Madison (Thomas Jefferson,
January 30, 1787) 138
Document 34: Northwest Ordinance (July 13, 1787) 140
PART V: The Federal Convention and the Constitution,
1787 147
Document 35: Letter to George Washington (James Madison,
April 16, 1787) 155
Document 36: Virginia Plan (Reported by James Madison,
May 29, 1787) 159
Document 37: Debate on the Virginia Plan (June 6, 1787) 163
viii Contents
Document 38: Report of the Committee of the Whole
(June 13, 1787) 167
Document 39: New Jersey Plan (June 15, 1787) 170
Document 40: Debate on the New Jersey and Virginia Plans
(June 16, 1787) 173
Document 41: Debate on Slavery (August 21–22, 1787) 177
Document 42: Signing the Constitution and Concluding the
Convention (September 17, 1787) 181
Document 43: The Constitution of the United States of
America, Signed by Thirty-Nine Delegates to
the Federal Convention (September 17, 1787) 184
Part VI: Debate on the Constitution: FederalistsVersusAnti-
Federalists, 1787–1788 197
Document 44: Essay I (Brutus, October 18, 1787) 203
Document 45: The Federalist 1 (Publius [Alexander Hamilton],
October 27, 1787) 207
Document 46: Letter to the General Court of Massachusetts
(Elbridge Gerry, November 3, 1787) 210
Document 47: Objections to the Constitution (George Mason,
November 22, 1787) 213
Document 48: The Federalist 10 (Publius [James Madison],
November 22, 1787) 216
Document 49: Letter IV (Agrippa [James Winthrop],
December 4, 1787) 222
Document 50: The Federalist 39 (Publius [James Madison],
January 16, 1788) 225
Document 51: The Federalist 51 (Publius [James Madison],
February 6, 1788) 229
Document 52: Essay XV (Brutus, March 20, 1788) 233
Document 53: The Federalist 78 (Publius [Alexander
Hamilton], May 28, 1788) 237
Contents ix
Part VII: The First Federal Congress and the Bill of Rights,
1788–1792 243
Document 54: Letter to James Madison (Thomas Jefferson,
December 20, 1787) 249
Document 55: Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Proposed
by the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention
(February 6, 1788) 251
Document 56: Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Proposed
by the New York Ratifying Convention
(July 26, 1788) 253
Document 57: Letter to Thomas Jefferson (James Madison,
October 17, 1788) 255
Document 58: Speech in the U.S. House of Representatives
(James Madison, June 8, 1789) 258
Document 59: Amendments Passed by the U.S. Congress
(September 25, 1789) 262
Document 60: The Bill of Rights, Amendments I–X to the U.S.
Constitution (Ratified December 15, 1791 and
Certified by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of
State, in a Letter to the State Governors,
March 1, 1792) 265
Index 269
