Texts of Documents

Texts of Historical Documents

The following documents represent threads of freedom woven throughout modern Western political history. The common theme is the quest by the governed to have the basic "unalienable Rights" and freedoms granted by God to man - the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – including the freedom of conscience in regard to worship. These documents represent the logical path from political and spiritual oppression to the freedoms we now understand to be most fully expressed in the United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence CLICK ON THE NAME TO VIEW THE TEXT OF EACH DOCUMENT.
MAGNA CHARTA– The birth of Constitutional Government by the limitation of the power of the Monarchy	The Magna Charta is the most famous document of British constitutional history, issued by King John at Runnymede under compulsion from the barons and the church in June, 1215. Charters of liberties had previously been granted by Henry I, Stephen, and Henry II, in attempts to placate opposition to a broad use of the king's power as feudal lord. Finally in 1215 the barons rose in rebellion. Faced by superior force, the king entered into discussion with the barons at Runnymede. On June 15, after some attempts at evasion, John set his seal to the preliminary draft of demands presented by the barons, and after several days of debate a compromise was reached (June 19). The resulting document was put forth in the form of a charter freely granted by the king-although in actuality its guarantees were extorted by the barons from John. There are four extant copies of the original charter.
*MAYFLOWER COMPACT-The birth of Constitutional Government by the limitation of the power of the Monarchy*	The Mayflower Compact was an agreement providing for the temporary government of Plymouth colony. The Compact was signed (1620) on board the Mayflower; it created the first American settlement based upon a social contract. In it, the colonists combined together in a "civil Body Politick whose purpose was to frame just and equal laws for the general good of the colony. The Compact remained the basis of government in Plymouth for ten years, and all later governments in the colony developed out of the Compact.
CHARTER OF PRIVILEGES-Government by Social Contract	William Penn, the sole proprietor of a vast land grant from King Charles II of England named Pensylvania [sic], crafted the Charter of Privileges, adopted on October 28, 1701. In his Charter, Penn gave to the new world a great liberty – the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of one’s own conscience. Penn’s Charter which became the first Constitution of Pennsylvania, ensured that no citizen would be "molested or prejudiced" because of their faith, nor would anyone be "compelled to frequent or mentaine any Religious Worship place or Ministry contrary to his or theire mind". Revolutionary for its time, Penn’s Charter is considered by some to be the American Magna Charta of religious liberty. It is also credited for the tremendous growth seen in Pennsylvania, as Europeans flocked to the new colony where they were assured they would be free from religious persecution.
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE - A Response to Unjust Government	The Declaration of Independence is the most important of all American historical documents. The full and formal declaration was adopted July 4, 1776, by representatives of the Thirteen Colonies in North America announcing the separation of those colonies from Great Britain and making them into the United States. It is essentially a partisan document, a justification of the American Revolution presented to the world; but its unique combination of general principles and an abstract theory of government with a detailed enumeration of specific grievances and injustices has given it enduring power as one of the great political documents of the West.
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES - Government by People, for the People, by the Separation of Powers	The Constitution of the United States is a document embodying the fundamental principles upon which the American republic is conducted. Drawn up at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the Constitution was signed on Sept. 17, 1787, and ratified by the required number of states (nine) by June 21, 1788. It superseded the original charter of the United States in force since 1781 and established the system of federal government that began to function in 1789. The Constitution is concise, and its very brevity and its general statement of principles have, by accident more than by design, made possible the extension of meaning that has fostered growth. There are seven articles and a Preamble; 27 amendments have been adopted.
THE BILL OF RIGHTS- Individual Liberties Protected from the Power of Government	The Bill of Rights, which refers to the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, was adopted in response to widespread objections that eh Constitution did not include specified guarantees of liberties and rights. James Madison is considered the author of the Bill, and all ten amendments were approved and adopted within two years of ratification of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government. But since the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment (1868), many of the guarantees contained in the Bill of Rights have been extended to the states through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
THE "SPIRIT OF LIBERTY" SPEECH -The Meaning of Liberty	In 1944, during "I Am an American Day", Judge Learned Hand spoke on the meaning of Liberty. As a federal judge for more than twenty years, Hand would become one of the most forceful protectors of liberty in American History. At the time of the speech however, he was articulating the central purpose of the war against totalitarian Germany. His address became known as the "Sprit of Liberty" speech. (Our Nation’s Archives, Erik Bruun & Jay Crosby, ed., Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, New York, 1999)