In this July 4 naturalization ceremony speech at Monticello, President George W. Bush briefly reviews some of Jefferson’s accomplishments, then argues that Jefferson believed the rights to life, liberty, and...
In this naturalization ceremony speech at Monticello, Coca-Cola Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Muhtar Kent reflects on Jefferson’s drive to make things better and encourages the new citizens to use...
This document, written by Thomas Jefferson almost exactly one year before the Declaration of Independence, explains the reasons why the Continental Congress established the Continental Army. The document denies that...
This three-volume work was written by John Adams while he was living abroad during the 1780s. Adams examines the 13 state constitutions, the balance of power within various kinds of...
Jefferson drafted the text of this pamphlet in July 1774, after Parliament passed the Coercive (or Intolerable) Acts but before the meeting of the First Continental Congress. The Virginian had...
In this letter, Abraham Lincoln discusses Thomas Jefferson’s enduring contributions to American society. He attacks slavery as antithetical to American values. He also comments on the irony that the heirs...
A month before he took office, president-elect Lincoln gave this speech in which he explained why he could not accept the secession of the southern states. The Declaration of Independence,...
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...
This journal was written by Ambrose Serle, the private secretary to the British Commander-in-Chief General William Howe. Serle was a strong believer in the authority of the British government. Convinced...
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...