The Declaration of Independence
- Explained the purpose of the government, listed complaints and grievances against the King, proclaimed a declaration of war against the oppressors and announced the intent of the American colonies to separate from the control of the King.
- Considered to be the founding document of American history
- Established on July 4th, 1776
- Signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson
- "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal"
- We have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
The Articles of Confederation
- Originally proposed by Ben Franklin, then again by John Dickinson
- Each state has own sovereignty and rights to govern
- In June of 1776, the Continental Congress voted to form a committee to write the Constitution
- Established a weak central government
- Contained 13 articles
- Consisted of a unicameral legislature
- Had no direct power to tax or regulate interstate and foreign trade
- Drafter in November of 1777; not ratified until 1781
- "League of friendship" between the states
- Each state had one vote
The U.S. Constitution
- Framers of the Constitution were intelligent/schooled men
- Consists of:
  - Preamble
  - 7 Articles
  - Amendments/ Bill of Rights
1. Popular Sovereignty
2. People should have authority
3. Limited government to avoid the tyranny
4. Government has power only expressed in the Constitution
5. Established the separation of powers; 3 branches of government
6. Created checks and balances for no abuse of power
7. Federalism
  - Division of government power
Federalist Paper #10
- Explained that FACTIONS (any group of citizens who attempt to advance their beliefs or economic status at the expense of other citizens) are dangerous and a threat to liberty
- States that a large government is capable of controlling the violence and damage caused by factions
- Discusses majority rule vs. minority rights
  - Majority factions control minorities
  - Minority factions can be controlled
- To cure the mischiefs of factions, we can either remove the causes or control the effects
Federalist Paper #51
- Written by James Madison
- Argued that checks and balances only work if the branches are independent of one another
- Total independence makes oversight difficult
- Branches should have a communal interest
- The rise of party politics in the 19th century undermined the concept of communal interest
Federalist Paper #70
- Written by Alexander Hamilton
- Argues that a lone person acting as the executive branch adds needed energy and decisiveness to the government
- Explains the benefits of a strong executive leader in comparison to a weak executive
- The executive branch provides unity and duration which is necessary to have a good government
- Hamilton argued that a single executive would be watched "more narrowly" and vigilantly by the people than a group of people would be
Federalist Paper #78
- Written by Alexander Hamilton
- Deals with the judicial branch
- Designed to be the weakest among the 3 branches
- Life tenure for judges
- Judiciary is established to protect the Constitution
- The design of the judicial branch protects the court's independence as a branch of government
Brutus #1
- Considered whether or not the 13 states should be reduced to one republic as the Federalists proposed
- Believed that the U.S was too large to be efficiently governed by one central power
- Argued that Congress had too much power and wanted a confederation
- Stated that the Constitution would create a federal government that will "possess absolute and uncontrollable power"
- The Necessary and Proper clause and the Supremacy clause all for the federal government to have even more power over the states
Letter From Birmingham Jail
- Written by Martin Luther King Jr.
- A most important written document in the civil rights era
- Was written in response to a letter from 8 local Birmingham clergymen who felt that Dr. King was hasty and radical in his approach to make a phone call
- States the reason why he was in Birmingham, which was to battle injustice
- It mentioned how he was organizing nonviolent action

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The 15 Supreme Court Cases