James Monroe was formally elected to his uncle's seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. Within a short time, Monroe's legislative colleagues arranged for him to sit on the Governor's Council, a position with little power but immense prestige for a newcomer. As a member of the...

from more than two years of study in London, schooled in the art of portraiture and in command of the artistic versatility that was to characterize his career. He introduced his children and his brother to the art of painting, and they, in turn, passed the heritage to succeeding generations....

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held from the months of May to September, at the Philadelphia State House. Representatives from twelve of the thirteen colonies attended, to debate a wide range of constitutional provisions from the Bill of Rights to the power of taxation. The issue on th...

The Sedition Act of 1798 For the first few years of Constitutional government, under the leadership of George Washington, there was a unity, commonly called Federalism that even James Madison (the future architect of the Republican Party) acknowledged in describing the Republican form of...

George Washington: Indispensable Indispensable a word meaning absolutely necessary1, is significant when analyzing the Presidency of George Washington a man whom James T. Flexner described as "the indispensable man." Being described indispensable can have lofty very expectations. Peop...

The pledge of allegiance was always considered a routine part in my morning at school, until now because of the recent controversy. Michael Nedow brought up the controversy this past June. He took the Sacramento school district to court saying that the pledge of allegiance was unconstitutional bec...

Jefferson's World "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." This was the start to Lincoln's famed Gettysburg address. The reference that th...

Who were the founders of America? When one thinks of the words "founding fathers", the first thing that should come to mind are national figures like George Washington, James Madison, George Mason and Thomas Jefferson. Although these men are founders of America, they were also founders of...

John Adams John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in Massachusetts Bay. He was born in a well-to-do family of five. He is the eldest son and was named after his father, John Adams. Young Adams was able to receive a proper childhood education, as his father was a deacon of the Congregational c...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof... These very important words were written over 200 years ago, and are still misunderstood, misconstrued, and misinterpreted by a majority of the citizens they protect. These words form ...

Throughout the period 1801-1817, the government was ruled by the Jeffersonian Republican party, whereas the Federalist Party began to slowly fade away from public view. The Jeffersonian Republican party, led by Thomas Jefferson, professed to favor a weak central government through the sup...

By the late 1780's many Americans had grown dissatisfied with the Confederation. It was unable to deal effectively with economic problems and weak in the face of Shay's Rebellion. A decade earlier, Americans had deliberately avoided creating a strong national government. Now they recons...

The Mindset of the American Founding Up and down the coast of America a brand new era was stirring. There were ideals that were prevalent throughout the new territories that would soon come into the form of a stated government. The men at this time felt obliged to lay before mankind their a...

The Mindset of the American Founding Up and down the coast of America a brand new era was stirring. There were ideals that were prevalent throughout the new territories that would soon come into the form of a stated government. The men at this time felt obliged to lay before mankind their a...

Science and The Age of the Enlightenment There were many people involved in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. Most of these people were fine scholars. It all started out with Copernicus and his book called On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spher...

Thomas Jefferson on Slavery “We Hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness—“(Jefferson). These words are argu...

There were many people involved in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment. Most of these people were fine scholars. It all started out with Copernicus and his book called On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres. This book marked the beginning of modern astrology. ...

Aaron Burr may best be known for his duel and victory against Alexander Hamilton, however, there are numerous important events about his life that go unmentioned. While many know Aaron Burr was elected vice-president of the United States in 1800 under Thomas Jefferson. However, what most don't ...

The black and white word of American literature has had a potent affect on the American culture. Every aspect of it from, early Puritan literature to contemporary writing has influenced several portions relating to choices America has made in history. These portions include not only politics and t...

John Locke lived to become the most influential people in England, and perhaps one of the most influential people in the seventeenth century. He was born in Wrington, a village in Somerset County, on August 29, 1632. He was named after his father, and was a country lawyer and a small landowner who...

The first administration of the United States was led by the first president of the United States, George Washington. The administration had to set a precedent for the next administrations of the United States. The administration faced many problems internally and externally. The administration d...

"The debate over the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 revealed bitter controversies on a number of issues. Discuss the issues and explain why these controversies developed." Under the threat of war with France, Congress in 1798 passed four laws in an effort to strengthen the Federal government, kn...

The Whiskey Rebellion The Whiskey Rebellion of 1794 helped bring about the demise of the aristocratic Federalist Government in favor of the democratic Republican Government, concerned with the needs of all of its citizens. The new country of the United States of America suffered many growing pa...

The Declaration Then and Now The year was sixteen hundred and eighty-nine and a man by the name of John Locke wrote Second Treatise on Government (Zinn 73). In it, Locke wrote that in a natural state everyone, all people, are born free and equal, and possess certain rights. He said that these R...

A Latin statement commonly used in the Middle Ages to define the purpose of government reads: servitium propter jura, non potestas praeter jura. This succinct statement translates to mean, "service to and for the sake of rights, not a power exercised beyond or outside of rights." This ag...