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Foundations
of Our Constitution
Welcome CRF's Online Lessons: Foundations of Our Constitution.
These lessons are designed to help students explore documents that serve
as the foundation for American democracy. Each lesson in Foundations
of Our Constitution consists of three components: (1) a reading with
discussion questions, (2) an interactive activity, and (3) the complete
text of the document that the lesson explores.
The Magna Carta (1215) Chafing under the despotic rule of
King John, rebellious British noblemen forced their ruler to sign the
Magna Carta. The 63 clauses of this document defined and limited the feudal
rights of the monarch.
The Mayflower Compact (1620)
Signed by 41 adult male passengers on the Mayflower while still at sea
off the New England coast, the compact established a preliminary, majority-rule
government for the Pilgrims.
The Declaration of Independence
(1776) A statement of principles in which the 13 American colonies justified
their separation from Great Britain. Famous for its combination of ideals
and practical statements, the Declaration proclaims that government is
responsible to its people and must be ruled by the consent of the governed.
The Federalist Papers (1787-88) A series of 85 articles written
anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Originally
published in New York newspapers, the papers were designed to convince
New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. Today, the Federalist Papers help
clarify what the Constitution’s authors intended.
The Constitution (1787) Over two hundred years ago delegates to
the Philadelphia Convention signed the document that was to become our
Constitution. Yet, the quest for a constitution did not begin or
end in Philadelphia. Its origins go back 2000 years, to ancient Greece
and Aristotle.
The Pledge of Allegiance (1892)
According to its author, utopian novelist Francis Bellamy, this
well-known oath "began as an intensive communing with...our national history,
from the Declaration of Independence onwards..." It has been the subject
of controversy for more than a century.
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