Topic: Government & Politics
Lesson Plan
Actions and Reactions
In the aftermath of the French and Indian War, Great Britain tried to recoup its financial losses by imposing taxes on the colonies. To the British, this made perfect sense:...
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Alexander Hamilton
This portrait by Charles Wilson Peale depicts Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury in the Washington administration. Hamilton appears sharp-eyed, focused, and masterful. Within Washington’s cabinet, Hamilton frequently clashed...
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Alexander Hamilton to George Washington
In this letter, Alexander Hamilton warns General George Washington that the soldiers of the Continental Army are threatening to mutiny if they are not paid. Written as the War for...
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An Act for Establishing Religious Freedom
Thomas Jefferson first drafted this bill in 1777. For him, religious freedom meant the right to have any of religious beliefs, or none at all. It also meant that government...
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An Act for Regulating Government
The Massachusetts Government Act set aside the colony’s existing charter and replaced it with a system of government that was directly under royal control. Representative institutions were severely limited. This...
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An Examination into the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution
Noah Webster wrote this essay to support the constitution produced by the recent convention in Philadelphia. Critics condemned the constitution’s plan for a strong central government, which seemed to endanger...
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Arator
In this essay, Virginia planter John Taylor considered the topic of agricultural labor. Pointing to the recent Haitian revolution, he warned that slavery could result in a bloody race war...
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Articles of Confederation
This document was the first agreement between the thirteen founding colonies that formed the United States of America. Proposed by the Continental Congress in 1777, it was ratified by the...
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Association of the Sons of Liberty
In response to Parliament’s passage of the Tea Act in 1773, New York merchants banded together and signed an agreement vowing not to import or sell East India Company Tea....
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