American Civics and Government

Founding Documents :: Presidents of the United States :: Congressional Acts :: Supreme Court Cases :: Political Thought

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AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American history
An extensive list of primary sources, from Discovery to Present.
http://www.ku.edu/carrie/docs/amdocs_index.html



Founding Documents

U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the NARA
http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/index.html

U.S. Historical Documents Archive
Famous documents from history including the Mayflower Compact, I Have a Dream, and WWII surrenders
http://www.ushda.org/

Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
GPO Access: U.S. Government printing Office
http://www.access.gpo.gov/

Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787  
James Madison. These are the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, an essential guide to interpreting the intent of the Framers.
http://www.constitution.org/dfc/dfc_0000.htm

Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents
Early known drafts of Jefferson's famous script.
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara4.html

Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: from 18th century to present
Treaties, pacts, accords, Presidential messages, and more

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm

The Federalist Papers
No. 10: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection, Continued
No. 23: The Necessity of a Government as Energetic as the One Proposed to the Preservation of the Union
No. 58: Objection That the Number of Members Will Not Be Augmented as the Progress of Population Demands
No. 72: The Same Subject Continued, and Re-Eligibility of the Executive Considered

Mount Rushmore: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, (Theodore) Roosevelt
Documents in the Hall of Records detailing the creation of the famous sculpture on Mount Rushmore. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/rushmore/filmmore/ps_records.html

Prentice Hall @ School Civics Primary Sources
List of primary source documents, including the Declaration of Independence, Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and a Letter From the Birmingham Jail.
http://www.phschool.com/atschool/Civics/primary_sources.html

The University of Oklahoma Law Center: A Chronology of US Historical Documents
This site offers an extensive directory of historical documents from pre-colonial days to the present. Many presidential inaugural addresses are included, as are some songs, poems, letters, and more.
http://www.law.ou.edu/hist/

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Presidents of the United States

AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American history
An extensive list of primary sources, from Discovery to Present.
http://www.ku.edu/carrie/docs/amdocs_index.html

Fireside Chats of Franklin D. Roosevelt
A selection of FDR's fireside chats from 1933 to 1944
http://www.mhrcc.org/fdr/fdr.html

Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library
The Library of Congress presents information on Abraham Lincoln, including the Emancipation Proclamation and his assassination, in this online exhibit of primary sources.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alhome.html

Obituaries: George Washington  
The news of Washington's death reached citizens through the diligent workings of the press as newspapers recorded the grief and sorrow of the nation.
http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/exhibits/mourning/news.html

POTUS: Presidents of the United States - Internet Public Library
Historical documents, audio and video files, election results, and more
http://www.ipl.org/div/potus

Turn of the Century
Speech and film of President Theodore Roosevelt.
http://www.ushistory.net/toc/sources.html

Truman: Project WhistleStop
Find primary source documents, photos, letters, journals, and more on 20th century history from the Truman Presidential Library.
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/educatio.htm

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Political Thought and Ideology

Sketches of American Policy (1785) by Noah Webster  
I. Theory of Government; II. Government of the Eastern Continent; III. American States; on the principles of the American Constitutions contrasted with those of European States; IV. Plan of Policy for improving the Advantages and perpetuating the Union of the American States.
http://personal.pitnet.net/primarysources/webster.html

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Supreme Court Cases

Civil Rights Act of March 1, 1875
The following civil rights legislation passed in 1875 was later delcared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and represents the last Congressional effort to protect the civil rights of African-Americans for more than half a century.
http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/122/recon/civilrightsact.html

Excerpts from the Decision on the Brady Gun Control Act
Excerpts from the Supreme Court's June 27 decision in Printz v. U.S. in which the justices ruled, 5-4, to strike down the Brady gun-control law's requirement that state officials check the backgrounds of individuals seeking to buy handguns.
http://www.facts.com/cd/d00133.htm

Internet Censorship: Communications Decency Act (1997)
Excerpts from the Supreme Court's June 26 decision in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union, which declared two provisions of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to be unconstitutional
http://www.facts.com/cd/d00139.htm

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