Topic: Legal History
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Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists
When he became president in 1801, Jefferson received a congratulatory note — along with a giant cheese — from Connecticut’s Danbury Baptist Association. In this response, he affirmed his support...Media › audio
Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists (Audio)
This is a dramatic reading of a letter Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association, who sent him a congratulatory note–along with a giant cheese–when he became president in 1801....
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Jefferson Today
This political cartoon gives a humorous take on how Jefferson might have drafted the Declaration of Independence today. It also illustrates how both technology and language have changed since Jefferson’s...
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Jefferson’s Third Annual Message to Congress
In this message to Congress, Jefferson argued that Louisiana was well worth its $15 million price. The vast territory included both the Mississippi River and the port of New Orleans....
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John Adams Diary Entry
In this diary entry, John Adams discusses the effects of the Stamp Act on the colonists. He notes that resistance to the Act was universal throughout the colonies. The colonists...
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John Adams to Timothy Pickering
In this letter, John Adams recalls the process of drafting the Declaration of Independence. He praises Thomas Jefferson for his eloquence and lofty prose. He also approves of a passage...
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Lord North to George III
In this letter, British prime minister Lord North suggested changes in the king’s response to the increasingly rebellious “inhabitants of the Colonies.” Colonists, Lord North declared, were subjects of the...
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Louisiana Purchase Treaty
This treaty was signed by representatives from the U.S. and France on 30 April 1803. For $15 million, the Americans bought some 828,000 acres west of the Mississippi River, doubling...
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Madison’s Notes on the Convention
In his notes taken during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, James Madison recorded the speeches of the delegates in attendance. In this excerpt from Madison’s notes of June 1, 1787,...
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