Topic: Ideas & Ideologies
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46th Annual Naturalization Keynote
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...
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49th Annual Naturalization Keynote
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...
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A Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies
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...
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A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America
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...
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A Summary View of the Rights of British America
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...
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Abraham Lincoln to Henry L. Pierce
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...
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Abraham Lincoln’s Address at Independence Hall
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,...
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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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Ambrose Serle Reacts to Proclamations of Independence
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...
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