Historical documents | USAGov (2024)

FAQs

What are the 6 historical documents? ›

Declaration of Independence

Of all the documents of American history, this is the most celebrated and its influence stretches far beyond America. The Declaration of Independence is a finely woven document that intertwines the history, aspirations, and way of life of the people living in the country.

Learn about the United States' founding documents, known together as the Charters of Freedom. The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights established the government's structure and continue to secure the rights of American citizens.

But perhaps the greatest influence of Magna Carta on the Founding Fathers was their collective understanding that in drafting the U.S. Constitution they were attempting to create a Magna Carta for a new era. “They knew exactly what they were doing,” says Kaminski.

The earliest confirmed form of writing is recorded on a limestone tablet, known as the Kish tablet, which dates to around 3,500 BCE. The tablet was found on the site of an ancient Sumerian city called Kish, which is located in modern-day Iraq.

(Four texts [the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Gettysburg Address] that played a crucial role in the history of the United States of America and that form the basis of the democratic system of government in our country.)

Did you know that Sept. 17–23 is Constitution Week? On September 17, 1787 our founding fathers bequeathed us the greatest legal writing ever penned to paper.

While the Bible contains historical narratives, historians do not use the Bible as direct historical evidence of historical claims. That is because much of what was written in the Bible was written decades or centuries after the fact.

Declaration of Independence. The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. It was engrossed on parchment and on August 2, 1776, delegates began signing it.

Is God mentioned in the Constitution? ›

While the U.S. Constitution does not mention God, nearly all state constitutions reference either God or the divine, according to a 2017 analysis. God also appears in the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance and on U.S. currency.

Digital History. The Constitution encountered stiff opposition. The vote was 187 to 168 in Massachusetts, 57 to 47 in New Hampshire, 30 to 27 in New York, and 89 to 79 in Virginia. Two states, North Carolina and Rhode Island, refused to ratify the new plan of government.

The Declaration of Independence expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for separation from Great Britain.

Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor. Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution. Magna Carta exercised a strong influence both on the United States Constitution and on the constitutions of the various states.

United States Declaration of Independence.

Research the background of the 6 historical documents: The Magna Carta, The Charters of the Virginia Company of London, The Virginia Declaration of Rights, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, and The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.

Historical documents, also known as primary sources, are most often produced around the time of the events you are studying and provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art.

Encounter the original founding documents of the United States in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights.

Sources of information or evidence are often categorized as primary, secondary, or tertiary material. These classifications are based on the originality of the material and the proximity of the source or origin.