Topic: Ideas & Ideologies
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An Oration on the Beauties of Liberty
John Allen preached this sermon, which became a popular pamphlet, to the Second Baptist Church in Boston in 1772. Like many colonists, Allen vigorously opposed what he called British “tyranny.”...
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An Oration to the Society of the Cincinnati
In this speech celebrating the anniversary of American independence, poet and patriot Joel Barlow lauded the founding of the United States as a unique opportunity. Americans, he believed, could start...
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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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B. Rush Proposes a System of Public Schools for Pennsylvania
Benjamin Rush of Pennsylvania wrote this book to promote public education in his state. Rush wanted children to receive at least a basic education at a tax-supported “free school” because...
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Benjamin Church’s Boston Massacre Oration
In 1773, Benjamin Church, a prominent Boston physician, was chosen to deliver the second annual oration to commemorate the Boston Massacre. Church warned his fellow colonists about British attacks on...
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Benjamin Rush to Richard Price
In this letter, American patriot Benjamin Rush describes conditions in the United States immediately after the War for Independence ended. He informs his correspondent, a British philosopher and reformer, that...
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British Opinion of the Americas
In this work, a British author expresses his views on the ways in which the colonists and Great Britain could peacefully resolve their differences. Written in the wake of American...
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Brutus, No. 1
The Anti-Federalist Robert Yates of New York wrote this essay under the penname “Brutus” in 1787. Like other opponents of the proposed U.S. constitution, “Brutus” accepted the conventional wisdom that...
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Circular to the States
In this letter to state governors, George Washington outlines his vision for the country’s future. Washington stresses that although the war has been won, the coming of peace will test...
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