LibGuides: United States History, 1490--1864, Dr. Miguda: Early Republic

In the Library

Letters from an American Farmer: and Sketches of Eighteenth-Century America by de Crèvecoeur, J. Hector St. John.
Call Number: Gerald J. Ball Library 973.2 C867L

Publication Date: 1963

A collection of letters written in the late 18th century, this work provides a unique view of rural life in the American colonies during the period just prior to the American Revolution. Through the voice of a farmer, he grapples with the contrast between American life and that of Europe.

Early Republic: General Sources

National Archives Foundation: DocsTeach: Primary Sources: Explore Documents: Revolution & the New Nation (1754--1820s) (collection of primary source documents, artwork, maps, etc.)

National Archives: Milestone Documents (slide timeline to document of choice, click document name, then click Learn More to see primary source document & transcription)

Independence: New Governance

Obtaining Independence

National Archives Catalog: Lee's Proposition for Independence (scan of original and transcription)

National Archives: America's Founding Documents: Declaration of Independence: A Transcription (original Declaration thumbnail to right of transcript; click on magnifying glass icon to enlarge)

Black Past: (1776) The Deleted Passage of the Declaration of Independence: The Declaration of Independence and the Debate Over Slavery

Library of Congress: Chronicling America: The Pennsylvania Gazette (Philadelphia, PA), July 10, 1776 (Click thumbnail image to enlarge.)

Library of Congress: Chronicling America: The Boston Gazette (Boston, MA), July 22, 1776 (Click thumbnail image to enlarge.)

National Archives: Milestone Documents: Northwest Ordinance (1787) (original printed copy and transcription)

The Constitution and the Constitutional Convention

Library of Congress: The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Also Known as Farrand's Records (single provider for the records of the Constitutional Convention)

National Archives: America's Founding Documents: The Bill of Rights: A Transcription; includes Transcription of the 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress Proposing 12 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution (original Bill of Rights thumbnail to right of transcript; click on magnifying glass icon to enlarge)

National Archives: America's Founding Documents: The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription (original Constitution thumbnail to right of transcript; click on magnifying glass icon to enlarge)

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for the Study of the American Constitution: Benjamin Franklin, Speech in Convention, 17 Sept. 1787 (transcription)

Hamilton Education Program: James Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785 (transcription, digital copy of original available for download)

Political Setup: President, Congress, and Supreme Court

National Archives: Milestone Documents: Virginia Plan (1787) (scanned original and transcription)

Library of Congress: Creating the United States: Solution to Dispute Over Electing a President (scanned original with transcription of relevant part)

National Archives: Milestone Documents: President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech (1789) (scanned original and transcription)

National Archives: Milestone Documents: Federal Judiciary Act (1789) (scanned original and transcription)