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Foundations of American Government

  • John Trumbull Sr.

    John Trumbull Sr.
    He was the only colonial governer (who still called himself British, not American) that supported American cause in revolution. He was one of the founding fathers.
  • John Witherspoon

    John Witherspoon
    Clergyman; represented New Jersey. He was a founding father and later the president of Princeton Univeristy.
  • John Hancock

    John Hancock
    Representative from Massachusetts and the President of the Continental Congress 1775. He was known for being the first to sign the Declaration of Independence very fancily.
  • Charles Carroll

    Charles Carroll
    He was a devout catholic and a founding father. He was a representative at the convention for Maryland and one of it's first senators.
  • John Jay

    John Jay
    Representative from NY; founding father, He helped negotiate the treaty of Paris in 1783 that ended the American Revolution. He was also a diplomat to England and negotiated Jay's treaty.
  • Benjamin Rush

    Benjamin Rush
    He was from Pennsylvania; treasurer of US Mint, a physician, writer, educator, and founding father. He signed the DOI and attended the continental congress.
  • John Peter Muhenberg

    John Peter Muhenberg
    He was a clergyman and a soldier in colnial, revolutionary, and post revolutionary conflict. He was one of the first official elected US congressmen, and a founding father (he also looked a lot like George Washington).
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence
    Composed by Thomas J. and edited by congress, this document announced freedom for colonies from British rule and set forth founding priciples of US, including "all men are created equal".
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    Constitutional convention

  • US Constitution

    US Constitution
    The constitution was signed on this date; it was made to structure government, establish basic rules, limit the government, and to be a primary source of nation's policy making power.
  • Bill of Rights

    Bill of Rights
    12 of these were drafted by Maddison and 10 ratified by the states. Also known as the "Bill of Limits", but it does not apply to state government. They are the first ten amendments to the constitution and probably the most important.
  • Fifth amendment

    Fifth amendment
    A person can be tried for a serious federal crime only if he or she has been charged by a grand jury. No one may be subjected to double jeopardy - that is, tried twice for the same crime.
  • “E Pluribus Unum”

    “E Pluribus Unum”
    "out of many, one " (the motto of the US).
  • Alex de Tocqueville and his Five Principles

    Alex de Tocqueville and his Five Principles
    He was a French Writer and thinker that came to America sometime in 1831 to observe US government and Politics. He stated that these values were crucial to America's success as a constitutional republic: Liberty, Egalitarianism, Individualism, Populism, and Laissez-faire.
  • Eminent Domain

    Eminent Domain
    It is the right of a government or its agent to expropriate private property for public use, with payment of compensation.
  • “In God We Trust”

    “In God We Trust”
    The 84th Congress passed a joint resolution "declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States." The law was signed by President Eisenhower and the motto was progressively added to paper money over a period from 1957 to 1966.