The Magna Charta (1215) was the first document stating that the authority of a nation's ruler was limited by the certain rights of other people in that nation.

The Mayflower Compact (1620) committed the first Pilgrim settlers to enacting just and equal laws for the general good of the colony.

Declaration of Rights (1774) of the First Continental Congress claimed the right of each colonial assembly to draw up laws on everything but foreign trade.

The Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (1775) (drafted by John Dickinson of Delaware) was intended to inform the world of the reasons why the colonies had taken up arms against England.

The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) was the first Bill of Rights written into a state constitution and served as the basis for the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution.

The Declaration of Independence (1776) (drafted by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia) noted that nature's laws permit a people to declare independence from a corrupt government and went on to specify the corrupt actions of England that had led the United States of America to declare their independence.

The Articles of Confederation (1781) established the framework of a national government made up of thirteen sovereign states. Originally drafted by John Dickinson of Delaware in 1776, all states but Maryand had signed by 1777. Maryland held out for four years until seven other states agreed to give up their claims to western land.

The Treaty of Paris (1783) ended the state of war between the United States and England and ceded to the United States all land east of the Mississippi.

The Federalist Papers (1787-1788) are a series of 85 newspaper articles through which Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay used both logic and prejudice to convince the New York citizens to support ratification of the United States Constitution.

The Northwest Ordinance (1787) provided for the founding of self-governing states in the area that is now Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and a bit of Minnesota.

The Constitution of the United States (1787) in its original form, with no amendments

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789) was written by Lafayette (assisted by Thomas Jefferson). It was adopted by the French National Assembly just prior to the French Revolution.

The Bill of Rights (1791) - the first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution

Later Amendments to the U. S. Constitution

The Treaty of Greenville (1795) ended the open hostility in Ohio between the Wyandots, Delawares, and other native American tribes and colonial settlers, which had started when England ceded the land to the United States as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

The Monroe Doctrine (1823) made it the policy of the United States to prevent further colonization of the continent by European powers.

Major Collections of Related Documents

The Univ. of Gronigen (the Netherlands) has added to the U. S. Information Agency's history of the American Revolution links to transcripts of original historical documents (entered by student volunteers).

The U. S. National Archives' home page provides access to an enormous range of documents (or descriptions of documents) in its possession, many of which deal with the struggle for independence.

The Library of Congress' collection of documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention.

The Keigwin and Mathews Collection of Rare and Historical Documents

History Net's collection of links to Revolutionary War documents.

John Adams -- our second President. This site has his inaugural address.

John Barry -- father of the U.S. Navy

Gen. Johann de Kalb was the only American general to die with his troops during the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin Franklin -- prominent scientist and statesman.
..... A Documentary History: As part of the compilation of source documentation for a planned biography of Benjamin Franklin, J.A. Leo LeMay, Professor of Colonial American Literature at the University of Delaware, has made this exhaustive, partly finished chronology available. The chronology is divided into seven parts: Printer; Rising Citizen; Soldier, Scientist, and Politician; American; Unofficial Ambassador to England; The Oldest Revolutionary; and Elder Statesman. Of these, only the first two are complete, and they reveal the author's vast knowledge of the man exemplified in the almost daily accounting of Franklin's life in certain portions of the chronology. Documentation is exhaustive and there is a large bibliography at the end of the Rising Citizen section that covers 1706-1748. Sections from 1748 on are works in progress at this time, with each year containing a brief summary.

Marshall Bernardo de GÀÀlvez -- Governor of Spanish Louisiana (which extended from Texas to Florida and up into Georgia). During the Revolution Spain joined the battle against England and ordered Galvez to action. He defeatedÔh)0*0*0*°°ÔŒ the British in Baton Rouge, Mobile, Pensacola, St. Louis and Fort St. Joseph (Michigan), relieving British pressure on General George Washington's armies and opening supply lines for money and military goods from Spain, France, Cuba, and Mexico (which included much of what is now the western part of the United States).

Thomas Jefferson -- our third President, wrote the Declaration of Independence.
..... Thomas Jefferson's papers at the University of Virginia.
..... This site has his two inaugural addresses.

Col. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish-born architect of American fortifications, later a hero in struggles for independence in several other nations

The Marquis de La Fayette, whose name was Gilbert du Mottier was a French officer who volunteered for service in the American Army and served with brilliance thoughout the War, rising to the rank of Major General. After the American revolution he returned to France and wrote "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" (for more see our documents page). After the French Revolution La Fayette sent George Washington the key to the Bastille. This was where French political prisoners had been kept prior to the French Revolution. The key has been displayed in the entry hall of Mt. Vernon (Washington's home) for over 200 years.

James Madison -- our fourth President -- is called the "Father of the Constitution"

James Monroe -- our fifth President -- was the only President besides George Washington to bear arms in the Revolution.
..... The Monroe Doctrine (1823) made it the policy of the United States to prevent further colonization of the American continent by European nations.

Thomas Paine is known as the "Penman of the Revolution". He also participated in the French Revolution.
..... quote;Give Me Liberty" pamphlet (1775)
..... many of Paine's writings
..... all of Paine's writings

Casimir Pulaski was born on 1747 March 4 in Poland. He joined the Revolution in 1777, was at Valley Forge, and fought at Brandywine and Germantown. He suffered mortal injuries during a heroic charge in the Siege of Savannah GA and died two days later on 1779 Oct 11, now set aside by Congress as Pulaski Day.

Paul Revere was a silversmith and patriot who rode to warn the patriots v of a British troop movement, was arrested in the process, but was nevertheless immortalized in a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

General Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Von Steuben was the drillmaster of the American army at Valley Forge and provided the essential elements of discipline and confidence to the struggling young army.

George Washington - Commander-in-Chief during the Revolution, and its first President -- known as the "Father of His Country"
..... Farewell Address to the Congress (1796)
..... Collection of his papers
..... Proclamation of the first national Thanksgiving (1787)
..... The Greatest Patriot of All