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Poor Richard's Almanack
Poor Richard's Almanack was published by one of the most prolific Americans of the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin. It contained weather information, facts, puzzles, household tips, and witty sayings. Much of Franklin's wordplay lives on in American conversation. -
Speech at the Virginia Convention
Patrick Henry was a famed political philosopher, writer, and speaker during the Age of Reason. His Speech at the Second Virginia Convention, also known as the "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech, was an attempt to convince the legislature of Virginia to join the fight against the British that had already begun in New England. The speech follows important themes of the time like truth, reason, and love for freedom and liberty. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine's Common Sense was an essay written to encourage American colonists to rise up against their British rulers. It told readers that fighting for their freedom was common sense and used reasonable, factual information to persuade, a common tactic in Paine's time. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is widely regarded as one of the most important founding documents in the United States. Written largely by Thomas Jefferson, it contains ideas relating to liberty, freedom, and self-governance and takes inspiration from European Enlightenment-era thinkers such as Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. -
The American Crisis
The American Crisis was a series of inspiration pamphlets, written by Thomas Paine to encourage American soldiers fighting the British Army. They championed ideas like fighting for liberty and civic virtue. George Washington believed in the pamphlets enough to order them read to troops under his command. -
Kentucky Resolution
Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Kentucky Resolution was a counter to the federal government's passage the Alien and Sedition Acts. The acts forbade public speech against the central government and Jefferson, a states' rights democrat, secretly authored the Resolution to express disapproval, even though he was Vice President at the time. -
"Jefferson Bible"
The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth, or the "Jefferson Bible", was one of Thomas Jefferson's few religious works. Jefferson cut and pasted pages from the Bible, removing passages that mentioned miracles performed by Jesus, references to his divinity, and everything referencing his supernatural abilities, believing them to be added by priests and kings. The purpose of this work was to reconcile religion and science and present Jesus only as a philosopher and thinker and not as a son of God.