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John Hancock
was a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and a governor of Massachusetts. He was president of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1777, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the United States was born. From 1780 to 1785, Hancock was the first governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. -
John Jay
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, John Jay is known as a writer of The Federalist Papers and for being the nation's first chief justice. -
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Rush was a Founding Father of the United States. Rush was appointed Surgeon-General to the armies of the middle department of the Continental Army, and treated the wounded at several battles. Benjamin Rush was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. -
Unalienable Rights
Life, liberty and property are rights which cant be taken away without Due Process of Law, which means pursuant to a court order. -
E Pluribus Unum
E pluribus unum is the motto suggested by the committee Congress appointed on July 4, 1776 to design "a seal for the United States of America." -
Declaration Of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson -
The Branches Of The Goverment
The three branches of the U.S. Government are the legislative, executive, and judicial. A complete diagram of the branches of the U.S. Government may be found in the U.S. Government Manual (PDF). -
The Bill Of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, strongly influenced Madison. -
Alexis De Tocquevillie's Five Values
Alexis De Tocquevillie identified fice crucial values to america's success as a democratic republic such as:
Liberty
Egalitraianism
Individualism
Populism
Laissez- Faire -
Constitutional Republic
A Constitutional Republic is a state where the officials are elected as representatives of the people, and must govern according to existing constitutional law that limits the government's power over citizens.However in recent years, many people have criticized the federal government for moving away from a Constitutional Republic, as defined by the Constitution, and towards a pure democracy -
Sovereignty
a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself -
Bicameral Congress
The Constitution created a bicameral national legislature—that is, a Congress composed of two separate chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.
