thefpAdmin, Author at The Founding Project

The U. S. Constitution: Simplified

September 17, 2024 thefpAdmin 5

The U. S. Constitution: Simplied…Abbreviated for beginning understanding or quick reference When you just want to get the general or simplified idea of what is covered, TFP offers an abbreviated version of the U.S. Constitution. Think of this as your “pocket version” of the full Constitution. It is not meant to be a version for legal purposes or study. It is meant to give our members the general idea of each portion of the Constitution for better understanding or a beginning approach to learning about the greatest document of freedom the world had experienced. Look for general definitions at the end of this simplified version. The full, original transcription of the U. S. Constitution […]

The 14th Amendment and Rights

September 1, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Why The 14th Amendment? After the Civil War, the United States needed to swiftly deal with several aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. Three amendments were ratified in July of 1868 and were collectively known as the “Reconstruction Amendments”. The 14th Amendment was intended to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people, but has continued to play a role in constitutional politics. In response to the Emancipation Proclamation by Abraham Lincoln, the first step to free slaves, and The 13th Amendment, which freed slaves, some Southern states enacted laws known as “Black Codes”. These “Black Codes” targeted recently freed slaves and restricted their ability to travel widely, own certain types of property and-or […]

The Articles of Confederation Complete Text

July 9, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

TO ALL TO WHOM these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting. Whereas the Delegates of the United States of America in Congress assembled did on the fifteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Seventy seven, and in the Second Year of the Independence of America agree to certain articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia in the Words following, viz. “Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of New […]

The Declaration of Independence, Exact Transcript

July 3, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Declaration of Independence: A Transcription Editor’s Note: This is a transcription of the Engraving of the parchment of The Declaration of Independence, a document on display in the National Archives Museum Rotunda. The spelling, punctuations and wording is exact to the original document. The signers of this Declaration are included at the bottom, along with the state they represented. In Congress, July 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the […]

Only In America, Part 3: Enter Government

June 24, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Only in America, Part Three: Enter Government Enter Government, Part Three: The Founding Project introduced our readers to Dr. Jerome Huyler’s work, Only in America, breaking it into an introduction followed by a three part series. Dr. Huyler began with the story of America and its greatness via his study of history and American life in the first chapter. His second chapter further explored America’s growth and effects of freedom, free markets and the aspects of liberty, which allowed individuals a growth, flourishing and prosperity not previously experienced by other nations. Huyler’s work is an observation of America and also on civics education in America and is being presented by The Founding Project in a series of […]

Government’s Debt Ceiling, Defined

April 25, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

What is the Debt Ceiling Limit? The debt ceiling is a limit imposed by Congress on how much debt the federal government can carry at any given time. When the debt ceiling is reached, the US Treasury cannot issue anymore treasury bills, bonds or notes. It can only pay bills as it receives tax revenues. In other words, each time the debt ceiling is increased, it essentially allows the federal government to pay bills above its means. Average Citizen Comparison We can compare this practice to a personal credit card issued by a bank in your name. At issue, you were given a credit limit of $3,000.00 with an interest rate of 21% per year. […]

Shays Rebellion and the Constitution

April 3, 2024 thefpAdmin 0

Shays Rebellion was an uprising in Massachusetts that took place in 1787. It was in response to dire economic conditions after the Revolutionary War and Government indifference to the plight of rural Massachusettsans. Shays Rebellion highlighted deficiencies of the weak central government under the Articles of Confederation. As a result, many historians consider it a catalyst to the adoption of our current Constitution. Economic Problems In 1780, Daniel Shays retired from service in the Revolutionary War after he became injured. The Fledging United States of America operated at that time under the Articles of Confederation. This first effort to organize a Government in the new World gave almost no power to the Central Government. Although […]

America’s First Congress

September 9, 2023 thefpAdmin 0

America’s First Congress The First Congress and Congress, as we now know it, officially began on March 4, 1789. It came into being due to America’s new Constitution, which was written in 1787. The new Constitution of the United States of America was written in 1787. It was ratified in 1788, when the 9th state (New Hampshire) ratified it on June 21, 1788. It officially began operation in 1789 and is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Charting a Course The First Congress’ necessary tasks were many and the new form of government meant the Congress was charting a new course of freedom. There were no examples for this Congress to follow, because […]

Our First “Constitution”: The Articles of Confederation

April 17, 2023 thefpAdmin 4

Why the Articles of Confederation failed its New Nation The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States of America. It established a confederate style of government for America, which united 13 States with their own strong governments under one purposefully weak central government. A Confederacy was born The Founders established a confederacy, because they had just fought a war (the Revolutionary War) against the British to escape an oppressively strong central government. The Founders wanted to avoid any type of strong central government. They opted to give the States the power to establish their own governments, foreign relations, trade agreements, military and economic practices. This distribution of power was chosen by […]

The Originally Proposed Bill of Rights

March 21, 2023 thefpAdmin 0

Bill of Rights: The Original Proposed Transcript and the Original Final Ratified Document The transcription included here is the recorded original of the Joint Resolution of Congress PROPOSING the Bill of Rights. These proposed amendments and the final accepted and ratified Bill of Rights document is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The punctuation and spelling for both is the same as the original documents. History: On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposed the amendments now on display in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were […]