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The Founding Documents - Full Text
National Constitution Center
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/FoundingDocuments/
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Read the full text of several founding documents, including:
Magna Carta
1215 A.D.
English liberty charter decreed by King John.
Mayflower Compact
November 11, 1620
Agreement drafted by the settlers of the first New England colony.
The Virginia Declaration of Rights
Adopted June 12, 1776
Drafted by George Mason, this declaration of rights later became a model for other state constitutions and the Bill of Rights.
Declaration of Independence
Adopted July 4, 1776
Articles of Confederation
Framed in 1777, adopted in 1781
Charter or first "Constitution" adopted by the 13 states following the American Revolution.
The Federalist Papers
October 1787 - August 1788
A series of newspaper articles drafted by Alexander Hamilton along with collaborators John Jay and James Madison, urging ratification of the new Constitution.
The Constitution
Approved by delegates in 1787, ratified in 1788
Bill of Rights
Adopted in 1791
The first ten Amendments to the Constitution.
The Reconstruction Amendments
Ratified in 1865 (13th Amendment), 1868 (14th Amendment), 1870 (15th Amendment).
Also known as the Civil War Amendments.
Amendments abolished slavery and guaranteed equal protection of the laws and the right to vote.
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