The U.S. Constitution, featuring profiles on Founding Fathers, a comprehensive collection of amendments, and a wealth of historical documents. Online since 1995.
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Historical Genesis of Checks and Balances The concept of checks and balances can trace its earliest known philosophical roots to Polybius in ancient Rome, who articulated the principle of "anacyclosis" which effectively presaged contemporary ideas of balance in political governance…
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19th Amendment History
Origins of the 19th Amendment The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 marked the beginning of the formal women's suffrage movement in the United States. The convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, brought together over three hundred people, including Elizabeth…
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Charles Carroll Childhood
Family Background and Early Life Born in 1737, Charles Carroll entered a world marked by religious and economic privilege that was rare in the American colonies. His parents, Charles Carroll Sr. and Elizabeth Brooke, belonged to a distinguished Catholic family…
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Richard Henry Lee Childhood
Family Background Richard Henry Lee's upbringing was deeply influenced by his prominent family in the colony of Virginia. The Lees of Stratford had established themselves as a significant political force, holding vast tracts of land and enjoying considerable economic power.…
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Rufus King Childhood
Early Life and Family Background Rufus King was born in 1755 in Scarborough, Massachusetts, which is now Maine. His upbringing was steeped in colonial New England's mercantile and military culture, a factor shaping his views on governance and individual rights.…
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Unknown US Constitution Facts
1. The Living Document The Constitution has evolved significantly due to Supreme Court decisions and legal interpretations. These alterations extend beyond the familiar 27 amendments, showcasing how legal minds have shaped its application through reinterpretation in response to changing societal…
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John Marshall Childhood
Early Life in Fauquier County John Marshall was born on September 24, 1755, in a log cabin on the Virginia frontier. As the oldest of 15 children, he faced the challenges of frontier life, including: Despite these hurdles, John's father,…
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Benjamin Franklin Childhood
Early Life and Education Benjamin Franklin was born in colonial Boston on January 17, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a candlemaker and soap boiler. Despite the family's modest means, Benjamin had a thirst for knowledge from a young age.…
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Thomas Jefferson Childhood
Early Life and Family Background Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at the Shadwell plantation in Virginia. His father, Peter Jefferson, was a planter and surveyor who had amassed around 5,000 acres of land by the time of…
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Samuel Adams Childhood
Family Background and Early Influences Samuel Adams was born into a world brimming with rigorous ethical standards and political fervor, drawn from both his Puritan heritage and his family's influential presence in Boston's governance. His father, Samuel Adams Sr., a…
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George Washington Childhood
Early Life and Family Dynamics George Washington was born into the moderately prosperous Washington family in 1732 in Virginia. His father, Augustine Washington, was a prominent figure who owned several farms and contributed significantly to the social and economic standing…
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Elbridge Gerry Biography
Early Life and Education Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17, 1744, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, into a wealthy merchant family. His father, Thomas Gerry, was a successful merchant-shipper and former sea captain. Gerry attended Harvard College, graduating in 1762. Harvard's…
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James Madison Childhood
Early Life and Family Background James Madison was born in Orange County, Virginia, into a family that owned a large plantation and over a hundred slaves. His father, James Madison Sr., faced the moral and economic challenges of slavery, while…
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Robert Livingston Biography
Early Life and Education Robert R. Livingston was born on November 27, 1746, in New York City, into the influential Livingston family, notable landholders in the Hudson Valley. He graduated from King's College (now Columbia University) in 1765 and further…
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John Jay Childhood
Family Background and Early Influences John Jay's grandfather, Augustus Jay, migrated to America from France in the 1680s to escape religious persecution. As Huguenots, the Jay family were advocates for religious liberty, a principle that resonated deeply with John. His…
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Patrick Henry Childhood
Family Background and Education Patrick Henry's formative years were deeply influenced by his family's emphasis on education and spiritual values. Born on May 29, 1736, in Hanover County, Virginia, Patrick was the second of nine children. His father, John Henry,…
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Gouverneur Morris Biography
Early Life and Education Gouverneur Morris was born on January 31, 1752, in New York City to a wealthy family. His father had extensive economic and political engagements throughout the neighboring colonies, emphasizing the significant role family lineage played in…
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James Monroe Biography
Early Life and Revolutionary War Service James Monroe was born on April 28, 1758, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. His father, Spence Monroe, joined the Northern Neck Farmers protest against the Stamp Act in 1766.1 Monroe enrolled in Westmoreland County's school…
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Thomas Paine Biography
Early Life and Emigration to America Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. His early life was marked by hardship and minimal formal education, attending school only until the age of 13. His father, a…
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Thomas Jefferson Biography
Early Life and Education Thomas Jefferson, born on April 13, 1743, in Shadwell, Virginia, grew up on a plantation owned by his father, Peter Jefferson, a successful planter and surveyor. At the age of nine, Jefferson began his formal schooling,…
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Elbridge Gerry Childhood
Early Life and Family Background Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17, 1744, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a thriving seaport town. His father, Thomas Gerry, was a merchant who had migrated from England in the early 1730s, and his mother, Elizabeth…
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Robert Livingston Childhood
Family Background and Early Life Robert R. Livingston was born on November 27, 1746, into a prominent New York family. His father, Judge Robert Livingston, and his mother, Margaret Beekman Livingston, resided at their family seat, Clermont, along the Hudson…
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Patrick Henry Biography
Early Life and Education Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736, at Studley, his family's farm in Hanover County, Virginia. His father, John Henry, was a planter, surveyor, and justice of the Hanover County Court. His mother, Sarah Winston…
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Roger Sherman Biography
Early Life and Career Beginnings Roger Sherman was born in Newton, Massachusetts, on April 19, 1721, into a modest family where his father William was a farmer and shoemaker. His early life was shaped by practical skills as he learned…
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Alexander Hamilton Bio
Early Life and Immigration Born on January 11, in either 1755 or 1757 on the small Caribbean island of Nevis, Alexander Hamilton's early life was marked by hardship. His parents, Rachel Faucette and James Hamilton, were not married, and his…
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Samuel Adams Biography
Early Life and Influences Samuel Adams was born into a family well-acquainted with the dynamics of political unrest. His father, Deacon Adams, was an active participant in local politics, including the contentious Land Bank initiative of the 1730s. The Land…
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John Jay Biography
Early Life and Education John Jay was born on December 12, 1745, in New York City to a prosperous merchant family of French Huguenot roots. He received his early education from private tutors and entered King's College (later renamed Columbia…
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John Hancock Biography
Early Life and Inheritance John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. After the death of his father, young John moved in with his uncle Thomas Hancock, a prosperous merchant in Boston. Under the guidance of his…
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James Madison Biography
Early Life and Education James Madison was born into a prosperous Virginia family on March 16, 1751, at Belle Grove plantation. His upbringing afforded him educational opportunities that many of his contemporaries lacked. From the age of 11, under private…
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John Hancock Childhood
Early Life and Family Background John Hancock was born on January 23, 1737, in Braintree, Massachusetts. His father died when he was young, and John moved in with his wealthy uncle and aunt, Thomas and Lydia Hancock, in Boston. Thomas…
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James Monroe Childhood
Family Background and Early Life James Monroe was born into a planter family in 18th-century Virginia. His father, Spence Monroe, was of Scottish descent, while his mother, Elizabeth Jones Monroe, brought Welsh heritage to the family. Monroe was raised on…
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Thomas Paine Childhood
Early Life and Family Background Thomas Paine was born on January 29, 1737, in Thetford, Norfolk, England. His father, Joseph Paine, was a Quaker and a corset maker by trade. Joseph likely impressed upon young Thomas the Quaker values of…
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Richard Henry Lee Biography
Early Life and Education Richard Henry Lee was born on January 20, 1732, in Stratford, Virginia, to the wealthy and influential Lee family. Following the early deaths of both his parents during his adolescence, Lee's education was entrusted to the…
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Charles Carroll Biography
Early Life and Education Born on September 19, 1737, in Annapolis, Maryland, Charles Carroll was immersed from birth into a family where Catholic faith and prosperous society intertwined. At age ten, Charles began his schooling at the Jesuit school at…
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John Marshall Biography
Early Life and Revolutionary War Service John Marshall was born on September 24, 1755, near Germantown, Virginia. As the eldest of 15 children, he experienced a childhood of rugged frontier living which influenced his later views on life and law.…
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Rufus King Biography
Early Life and Education Rufus King was born on March 24, 1755, in Scarborough, Massachusetts, which would later become part of Maine. His father, a well-to-do merchant and farmer, was known locally for his prosperity and his staunch Loyalist views…
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John Adams Childhood
Family Background and Puritan Influence John Adams, born to John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston, hailed from a lineage deeply rooted in the Puritan tradition that pervaded Massachusetts in the 18th century. The Adams family commanded respect within their community…
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Hamilton’s Early Life
Formative Years in the Caribbean Alexander Hamilton was born in Charlestown, Nevis, an island in the West Indies, between 1755 and 1757. His father, James Hamilton, was a Scottish merchant, and his mother, Rachel Fawcett, was of French Huguenot descent.…
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Roger Sherman Childhood
Early Life and Education Roger Sherman was born in Newton, Massachusetts and later lived in Stoughton. Despite sparse formal schooling, he pursued a rigorous self-education with support from his father's well-stocked library. This ignited his intellectual curiosity from a young…
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Gouverneur Morris Childhood
Early Life and Education Gouverneur Morris was born in 1752 at Morrisania estate, now part of modern-day Bronx. His father was a judge and his grandfather a colonial governor. Morris enrolled in King's College (present-day Columbia University) at the age…
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John Adams Biography
Early Life and Education John Adams, born on October 30, 1735, in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, grew up in modest surroundings, which instilled in him a strong work ethic. The eldest of three sons to farmer and cobbler John Adams…
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The Articles of Confederation – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
Also see the Constitutional Topics Page for this document, a comparison of the Articles and the Constitution, and a table with demographic data for the signers of the Articles. Images of the Articles are available. Contents Preamble Article I –…
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George Washington Biography
Early Life and Military Beginnings Born in 1732 in Westmoreland County, Virginia, George Washington was introduced early to the expectations and challenges of the Virginia planter elite. His family had notable connections, with his father, Augustine Washington, involved in agriculture…
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Benjamin Franklin Biography
Early Life and Education Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1706, to Josiah Franklin and Abiah Folger. He was the fifteenth of seventeen children in a family of modest means. Franklin's formal education was brief, lasting…
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The Report of the Annapolis Conference – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
The Report of the Annapolis Conference In September 1786, a conference was called in Annapolis, Maryland to discuss the state of commerce in the fledgling nation. The national government had no authority to regulate trade between and among the states.…
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The Albany Plan – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
The Albany Plan In late 1753, the London Board of Trade wrote to New York Governor James DeLancey. The Board supervised provincial affairs in the Americas. It was concerned about the French courting of the Iroquois (the Six Nations) and…
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The Administration of Justice Act – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
The Administration of Justice Act Advertisement Worried by the courts that convened in America and in Massachusetts in particular, and their bias toward the colonists over their British governors, on May 20, 1774, the Parliament passed the Administration of Justice…
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The Constitution for Kids (Kindergarten – 3rd Grade) – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
This file is intended for students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade. Other versions of this page are available: The Constitution for Kids: 4th through 7th Grade The Constitution for Kids: 8th through 12th Grade Pictures of the Constitution The main…
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The Constitution for Kids (4th-7th Grade) – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
This file is intended for students in grades 4 through 7. Other versions of this page are available: The Constitution for Kids: Kindergarten through 3rd Grade The Constitution for Kids: 8th through 12th Grade Pictures of the Constitution The main…
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The Constitution for Kids (8th-12th Grade) – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
This file is intended for students in grades 8 through 12. Other versions of this page are available: The Constitution for Kids: Kindergarten through 3rd Grade The Constitution for Kids: 4th through 7th Grade Pictures of the Constitution The main…
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U.S. Constitution – Preamble – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Preamble The Preamble <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the…
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U.S. Constitution – Signatories – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Signatories Signatories <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 9 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 9 Amendment 9 – Construction of Constitution <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Notes…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 8 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 8 Amendment 8 – Cruel and Unusual Punishment <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Notes for this amendment: Proposed…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 7 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 7 Amendment 7 – Trial by Jury in Civil Cases <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 6 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 6 Amendment 6 – Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 5 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 5 Amendment 5 – Trial and Punishment, Compensation for Takings <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 4 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 4 Amendment 4 – Search and Seizure <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 3 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 3 Amendment 3 – Quartering of Soldiers <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of…
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U.S. Constitution – Amendment 27 – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net
U.S. Constitution – Amendment 27 Amendment 27 – Limiting Changes to Congressional Pay <<Back | Table of Contents | Next>> No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of…