The American Republic: Primary Sources
The American Republic is an excellent textbook for classroom use which provides, in a single volume, critical, original documents revealing the character of American discourse on the nature and importance of local government, the purposes of federal union, and the role of religion and tradition in forming America’s drive for liberty.
The American Republic: Primary Sources, ed. Bruce Frohnen (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2002).
Copyright:
The copyright to this edition, in both print and electronic forms, is held by Liberty Fund, Inc.
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Table of Contents
- Editorial Board
- Contents
- I Colonial Settlements and Societies
- 2 Religious Society and Religious Liberty in Early America
- 3 Defending the Charters
- 4 The War for Independence
- 5 A New Constitution
- 6 The Bill of Rights
- 7 State versus Federal Authority
- 8 Forging a Nation
- 9 Prelude to War
- Alphabetical Table of Contents
- Alphabetical List of Authors
- Illustrations
- Introduction
- organization of the work
- Note on the Texts
- part one: Colonial Settlements and Societies
- governing documents
- Virginia Articles, Laws, and Orders I610–11
- Articles, Laws, and Orders, Divine, Politic, and Martial for the Colony in Virginia
- The Mayflower Compact November 11, 1620
- The Mayflower Compact
- Fundamental Orders of Connecticut January 14, 1639
- Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
- The Massachusetts Body of Liberties December 1641
- The Massachusetts Body of Liberties
- A Coppie of the Liberties of the Massachusets Collonie in New England
- liberties more peculiarlie concerning the free men
- liberties of woemen
- liberties of children
- liberties of servants
- liberties of forreiners and strangers
- off the bruite creature
- Charter of Liberties and Frame of Government of the Province of Pennsylvania in America May 5, 1682
- Charter of Liberties and Frame of Government
- the preface
- the frame, c—april 25, 1682
- laws agreed upon in england, c.
- Dorchester Agreement October 8, 1633
- Dorchester Agreement
- An agreement made by the whole consent and vote of the plantation made Mooneday 8th of October, 1633
- Maryland Act for Swearing Allegiance 1638
- Plymouth Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity 1625
- Maryland Act for Swearing Allegiance
- Plymouth Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity
- form of oath for all inhabitants
- form of the oath given the governor and council at every election
- Little Speech on Liberty
- Governor Winthrop’s Speech
- Copy of a Letter from Mr. Cotton to Lord Say and Seal
- Copy of a Letter from Mr. Cotton to Lord Say and Seal in the Year 1636
- part two: Religious Society and Religious Liberty in Early America
- The Bloody Tenent, of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience
- The Bloody Tenent, of Persecution, for Cause of Conscience
- To the Right Honorable, both Houses of the High Court of Parliament
- Scriptures and Reasons written long since by a Witnesse of Jesus Christ, close Prisoner in Newgate, against Persecution in cause of Conscience; and sent some while since to Mr. Cotton, by a Friend who thus wrote:
- To Answer Some Maine Objections
- A Platform of Church Discipline
- A Platform of Church Discipline, Gathered out of the Word of God, and Agreed upon by the Elders and Messengers of the Churches Assembled in the Synod, at Cambridge, in New-England To Be Presented to the Churches and General Court for Their Consideration and Acceptance in the Lord, the 8th Month, Anno 1649
- CHAPTER I: Of the Form of Church-Government; and That It Is One, Immutable, and Prescribed in the Word
- CHAPTER II: Of the Nature of the Catholick Church in General, and in Special of a Particular Visible Church
- CHAPTER III: Of the Matter of the Visible Church, Both in Respect of Quality and Quantity
- CHAPTER IV: Of the Form of the Visible Church, and of Church Covenant
- CHAPTER V: Of the First Subject of Church-Power; Or, to Whom Church-Power Doth First Belong
- CHAPTER VI: Of the Officers of the Church, And Especially of Pastors and Teachers
- CHAPTER VII: Of Ruling Elders and Deacons
- CHAPTER VIII: Of the Election of Church Officers
- CHAPTER IX: Of Ordination and Imposition of Hands
- CHAPTER X: Of the Power of the Church and Its Presbytery
- CHAPTER XI: Of the Maintenance of Church-Officers
- CHAPTER XII: Of the Admission of Members into the Church
- CHAPTER XIII: Of Church-Members, Their Removal from One Church to Another, and of Recommendation and Dismission
- CHAPTER XIV: Of Excommunication and Other Censures
- CHAPTER XV: Of the Communion of Churches One with Another
- CHAPTER XVI: Of Synods
- CHAPTER XVII: Of the Civil Magistrate’s Power in Matters Ecclesiastical
- Providence Agreement August 20, 1637
- Maryland Act for Church Liberties 1638
- Pennsylvania Act for Freedom of Conscience December 7, 1682
- Providence Agreement
- Maryland Act for Church Liberties
- Pennsylvania Act for Freedom of Conscience
- Worcestriensis 1776
- Worcestriensis
- Number IV
- Thanksgiving Proclamation and Letters to Religious Associations
- Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1789
- Letter to the United Baptist Churches in Virginia May 10, 1789
- Letter to the Roman Catholics in the United States of America March 15, 1790
- Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport August 1790
- Thanksgiving Proclamation
- Letters to Religious Associations
- To the United Baptist Churches in Virginia
- To the Roman Catholics in the United States of America
- To the Hebrew Congregation in Newport
- Farewell Address
- Farewell Address
- The Rights of Conscience Inalienable
- The Rights of Conscience Inalienable
- Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association
- Letter to the Danbury Baptist Association
- part three: Defending the Charters
- Magna Charta 1215
- Magna Charta
- Petition of Right 1628
- Petition of Right
- The Petition exhibited to his Majesty by the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, concerning divers Rights and Lib-erties of the Subjects, with the King’s Majesty’s royal answer thereunto in full Parliament
- An Account of the Late Revolution in New England and Boston Declaration of Grievances
- An Account of the Late Revolution In New-England Written by Mr. Nathanael Byfield, to his Friends, c.
- Boston Declaration of Grievances
- The Declaration of the Gentlemen, Merchants, and Inhabitants of Boston, and the Country Adjacent. April 18. 1689
- The English Bill of Rights 1689
- The English Bill of Rights An Act for Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject, and Settling the Succession of the Crown
- The Stamp Act March 22, 1765
- The Stamp Act
- Braintree Instructions
- Instructions of the Town of Braintree to Their Representative,
- Resolutions of the Virginia House of Burgesses June 1765
- Declarations of the Stamp Act Congress October 24, 1765
- Resolutions of the Virginia House of Burgesses
- Declarations of the Stamp Act Congress
- The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved
- The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved
- Of the Political and Civil Rights of the British Colonists
- The Act Repealing the Stamp Act March 18, 1766
- The Declaratory Act March 18, 1766
- The Act Repealing the Stamp Act
- The Declaratory Act
- part four: The War for Independence
- A Discourse at the Dedication of the Tree of Liberty
- A Discourse at the Dedication of the Tree of Liberty
- Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, Letters V and IX
- Letter V
- Letter IX
- Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress October 14, 1774
- Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
- Virginia Bill of Rights June 12, 1776
- Virginia Bill of Rights
- A Declaration of Rights
- On Civil Liberty, Passive Obedience, and Non-resistance
- On Civil Liberty, Passive Obedience, and Non-resistance *
- Galatians, ch. v. ver. 1
- Common Sense
- Common Sense
- On the Origin and Design of Government in General, with Concise Remarks on the English Constitution
- Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs
- The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776
- The Declaration of Independence
- In Congress, July 4, 1776,
- The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America
- part five: A New Constitution
- Thoughts on Government
- Thoughts on Government
- Articles of Confederation 1778
- Articles of Confederation
- The Essex Result April 29, 1778
- The Essex Result
- In Convention of Delegates from the several towns of Lynn, Salem, Danvers, Wenham, Manchester, Gloucester, Ipswich, Newbury-Port, Salisbury, Methuen, Boxford, and Topsfield, holden by adjournment at Ipswich, on the twenty-ninth day of April, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight
- Northwest Ordinance 1787
- Northwest Ordinance
- Albany Plan of Union July 10, 1754
- Albany Plan of Union
- Virginia and New Jersey Plans 1787
- Virginia Plan
- New Jersey Plan
- The Constitution of the United States of America 1787
- Constitution of the United States of America
- Article I
- Article II
- Article III
- Article IV
- Article V
- Article VI
- Article VII
- The Federalist, Papers 1, 9, 10, 39, 47–51, 78
- No. 1
- Introduction
- No. 9
- The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
- No. 10
- The same Subject continued
- No. 39
- The conformity of the plan to republican principles: an objection in respect to the powers of the convention, examined
- No. 47
- The meaning of the maxim, which requires a separation of the departments of power, examined and ascertained
- No. 48
- The same subject continued, with a view to the means of giving efficacy in practice to that maxim
- No. 49
- The same subject continued, with the same view
- No. 50
- The same subject continued, with the same view
- No. 51
- The same subject continued, with the same view, and concluded
- No. 78
- A view of the constitution of the judicial department in relation to the tenure of good behaviour
- Address of the Minority of the Pennsylvania Convention December 12, 1787
- Address of the Minority of the Pennsylvania Convention
- The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention of the State of Pennsylvania to their Constituents
- An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution
- An Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution
- part six: The Bill of Rights
- The Federalist, Papers 84 and 85
- No. 84
- Concerning several miscellaneous objections
- No. 85
- Conclusion
- Letter I
- Letter I
- Essay I
- Essay I
- Letter III
- Letter III
- Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments
- Virginia Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom
- Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments
- A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom
- Speech Introducing Proposed Constitutional Amendments
- Debate over First Amendment Language August 15, 1789
- The First Ten Amendments to the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights 1789
- Speech Introducing Proposed Constitutional Amendments
- Amendments to the Constitution
- Debate over First Amendment Language
- Amendments to the Constitution
- The First Ten Amendments to the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights
- Articles in Addition to, and Amendment of, the Constitution of the United States of America, Proposed by Congress, and Ratified by the Legislatures of the Several States, Pursuant to the Fifth Article of the Original Constitution
- Amendment I
- Amendment II
- Amendment III
- Amendment IV
- Amendment V
- Amendment VI
- Amendment VII
- Amendment VIII
- Amendment IX
- Amendment X
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- Amendments to the Constitution
- The People v. Ruggles
- The People v. Ruggles (8 Johns 225)
- Marbury v. Madison
- Marbury v. Madison (5 US 187)
- Opinion of the Court
- Barron v. the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore
- Barron v. the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore
- part seven: State versus Federal Authority
- Essay V: “brutus” 1787
- Essay V
- Chisholm v. Georgia
- U.S. Constitution, Eleventh Amendment 1787
- Chisholm v. Georgia (2 US 419)
- U.S. Constitution
- Amendment XI
- The Alien and Sedition Acts June 25, 1798
- Virginia Resolutions December 21, 1798
- Kentucky Resolutions November 10, 1798
- Counter-resolutions of Other States 1799
- Report of Virginia House of Delegates 1799
- The Alien and Sedition Acts
- An Act Concerning Aliens
- Sedition Act
- Virginia Resolutions
- Resolutions, As Adopted by Both Houses of Assembly
- Kentucky Resolutions
- In the House of Representatives
- Counter-resolutions of Other States
- State of Delaware.In the House of Representatives
- State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.In General Assembly
- Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In Senate
- State of New York. In Senate
- State of Connecticut
- State of New Hampshire. In the House of Representatives
- State of Vermont.In the House of Representatives
- Report of Virginia House of Delegates
- Report of the committee to whom were referred the communications of various states relative to the resolutions of the General Assembly of this state, concerning the Alien and Sedition-Laws
- The Duty of Americans, at the Present Crisis
- The Duty of Americans, at the Present Crisis
- Report of the Hartford Convention 1815
- Report of the Hartford Convention
- The Delegates from the Legislatures of the States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode-Island, and from the Counties of Grafton and Cheshire in the State of New-Hampshire and the County of Windham in the State of Vermont, assembled in Convention, beg leave to report the following result of their conference
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- Supremacy of Laws
- A Familiar Exposition of the Constitution of the United States
- General Power to make Necessary and Proper Laws
- Prohibitions on the United States
- Prohibitions on the States
- part eight: Forging a Nation
- Opinion against the Constitutionality of a National Bank
- Opinion as to the Constitutionality of the Bank of the United States
- Opinion against the Constitutionality of a National Bank
- Opinion as to the Constitutionality of the Bank of the United States
- Veto Message
- Veto Message
- Veto Message
- Veto Message
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States
- Power to Borrow Money, and Regulate Commerce
- Naturalization, Bankruptcy, and Coinage of Money
- Admission of New States—Government of Territories
- Prohibitions on the United States
- Address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois
- Address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois
- The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions
- Address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Newspaper Editorials
- “Direct Taxation” April 22, 1834
- “Chief Justice Marshall” July 28, 1835
- “The Despotism of the Majority” March 25, 1837
- “Morals of Legislation” April 15, 1837
- “The Morals of Politics” June 3, 1837
- “Direct Taxation”
- “Chief Justice Marshall”
- “The Despotism of the Majority”
- “Morals of Legislation”
- “The Morals of Politics”
- Speech on Electioneering
- Speech on Electioneering
- Speech before the U.S. Senate
- Speech before the U.S. Senate
- Speech of Mr. Webster, of Massachusetts
- The following resolution, moved by Mr. Foot, of Connecticut, being under consideration:
- Speech of Mr. Hayne, of South Carolina
- The resolution of Mr. Foot, of Connecticut, relative to the public lands, being under consideration, Mr. Hayne addressed the Chair as follows:
- Fort Hill Address
- Fort Hill Address
- On the relation which the States and General Government bear to each other
- part nine: Prelude to War
- Laws Regulating Servants and Slaves, 1630–1852
- Massachusetts Law on Capture and Protection of Servants 1630–41
- Maryland Law Deeming Runaway Apprentices to Be Felons March 26, 1642
- North Carolina Law against Entertaining Runaways 1741
- Connecticut Law Regarding Escape of Negroes and Servants [no date given]
- First Fugitive Slave Law February 12, 1793
- Maryland Resolutions Protesting against Pennsylvanians December 17, 1821
- Alabama Slave Code 1852
- Massachusetts—Capture and Protection of Servants 1630–41
- Maryland—Runaway Apprentices Felons March 26, 1642
- North Carolina—Entertainment of Runaways 1741
- Connecticut—Escape of Negroes and Servants [no date given]
- First Fugitive Slave Law February 12, 1793
- An Act respecting fugitives from justice and persons escaping from the service of their masters
- Maryland Resolutions Protesting against Pennsylvanians December 17, 1821
- Alabama Slave Code 1852
- Chapter III.: Patrols
- Chapter IV.: Slaves and Free Negroes Article ISlaves
- Article II Free Negroes
- “Slavery” “Agriculture and the Militia”
- Slavery
- Slavery, Continued
- Agriculture and the Militia
- THE MILITIA . . . The Rock of our Liberty.
- AGRICULTURE . . . The fountain of our wealth.
- The Missouri Compromise 1820–21
- The Missouri Compromise
- An act to authorize the People of the Missouri Territory to form a Constitution and State Government, and for the admission of such State into the Union on an equal footing with the original States, and to prohibit Slavery in certain Territories
- Resolution providing for the Admission of the State of Missouri into the Union, on a certain Condition 2 March, 1821
- Newspaper Editorials
- “Governor McDuffie’s Message” February 10, 1835
- “The Question of Slavery Narrowed to a Point” April 15, 1837
- “‘Abolition Insolence’” July 29, 1837
- “Governor McDuffie’s Message”
- “The Question of Slavery Narrowed to a Point”
- “Abolition Insolence”
- Senate Speeches on the Compromise of 1850 Speech on the Slavery Question
- The Constitution and the Union
- Speech on the Slavery Question, Delivered in the Senate March 4th, 1850
- The Constitution and the Union March 7, 1850
- Second Fugitive Slave Law September 18, 1850
- Second Fugitive Slave Law September 18, 1850
- An Act to amend, and supplementary to, the Act entitled ‘An Act respecting Fugitives from Justice, and Persons escaping from the Service of their Masters,’’ approved February twelfth, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.
- Ableman v. Booth (62 US 506)
- Stephen V. R. Ableman v. Sherman M. Booth; and The United States v. Sherman M. Booth
- Scott v. Sandford
- Dred Scott v. Sandford (60 US 393)
- The Relative Position and Treatment of the Negroes The Abolitionists—Consistency of Their Labors
- The Relative Position and Treatment of the Negroes
- Origin of Slavery in the United States
- The Position and Treatment of Slaves
- The Abolitionists—Consistency of Their Labors
- British Slavery
- What Is Slavery? Slavery Is Despotism
- What Is Slavery?
- Slavery Is Despotism
- Kansas-Nebraska Act 1856
- Fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debate October 7, 1858
- Kansas-Nebraska Act
- Fifth Joint Debate, at Galesburg
- Mr. Douglas’s Speech
- Mr. Lincoln’s Reply
- Mr. Douglas’s Rejoinder
- Bibliography
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