Our Founders Archives - Page 2 of 4

Shays Rebellion and Our Constitution

April 23, 2023 Shannon D. Hanson 0

Shays’ Rebellion, Impact That Led to Our Constitution 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 Hardship 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 […]

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 […]

Lemuel Haynes’ Liberty Further Extended

March 24, 2023 TFP Staff 0

Lemuel Haynes’ Most Important Work Liberty Further Extended… Lemuel Haynes, a Founder, Minuteman, Pastor and Author, penned in an influential essay called “Liberty Further Extended” in response to the Declaration of Independence. His work was a treatise against slavery and an influential stance during the Founding years of the United States. Haynes argued that liberty for one group of people justly meant freedom for all. The story of Lemuel Haynes is featured on The Founding Project website. (See link below.) His most important work, “Liberty Further Extended”, is published here for the benefit of TFP readers and to honor the story of our Founders. The Founding Project publishes his work with no changes, except to add […]

The Forgotten Articles of Confederation

March 24, 2023 Guest Writer 0

The Articles of Confederation: America’s Forgotten Constitution The story of the Articles of Confederation, Colonial America’s first and nearly forgotten, original Constitution. Before the Confederation Began, an Intro John Hancock’s signature is the largest one on the Declaration of Independence. Most people know this, but some do not know why or they only consider the popular legend that he did this, so “the fat old king could read it without his spectacles”. The fact is, Hancock was the president of the “Congress” at the time and, in that capacity, he would be the first to sign, centered below the text. The title was ceremonial for the most part. It also made him the most important […]

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 […]

Lemuel Haynes, Our African-American Founder

February 19, 2023 TFP Staff 2

Lemuel Haynes: Pastor, Patriot, Poet On July 18, 1753, Lemuel Haynes was born to a white mother “of respectable ancestry” and an African father in West Hartford, Connecticut. His parents abandoned him as a child, giving him to a local deacon in Middle Granville, Massachusetts. Lemuel’s parents had an agreement with Deacon John Haynes that their son would work on Haynes’ farm until age 21 in exchange for housing and education. His Youth Thus, Lemuel spent his youth as an indentured servant working on a Massachusetts farm to earn his keep. He worked on the farm by day and studied at night. With a basic education, Lemuel developed a passion for books, especially for the […]

The 1st Regiment of Rhode Island

February 18, 2023 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

1st Regiment of Rhode Island and The Role of Slaves in the American Revolution The story of the 1st regiment of Rhode Island and of the role of slaves in the Revolutionary War is not one commonly told, but should be. In January 1778, General Washington had given his approval for Rhode Island’s plan to raise an entire regiment of black soldiers. Over the next five years, 250 former slave and freedmen served in the 1st Rhode Island Regiment. The 1st Rhode Island Infantry Regiment The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was a Continental Army regiment from Rhode Island during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). Like most regiments of the Continental Army, the unit went through several incarnations and name changes. It became well known as the “Black […]

Ratification: The U.S. Constitution’s Fight for Survival

January 18, 2023 thefpAdmin 0

Ratification: The Need The path to ratification of the U. S. Constitution was paved with lessons learned, obstacles and debate. America was floundering. They had won the war to be free of the oppression of a king, but were losing the battle to organize a thriving nation. Strongly opposed to any type of strong central government, the Founders organized America as a confederacy. The Articles of Confederation were adopted on November 15, 1777 and its ratification was completed on March 1, 1781. The idea of a weak central government and strong State governments appealed to every American citizen, who bravely fought for America’s freedom from the King of England. But, following the ratification, reality was […]

Unsung Hero of The Revolutionary War

January 3, 2023 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

A Little Known Hero of The American Revolution James Armistead (Lafayette) (1760-1832) The decisive victory of the American Revolution occurred at Yorktown Virginia on October 19th 1781. General Washington was able to surround and capture 8,000 British Soldiers and force the ultimate surrender of Britain to America. One man was responsible for the British decision to move their forces to the trap that was Yorktown. This man was the most effective spy for the Americans in the Revolutionary War. He was responsible for Lord Cornwallis’s move to Yorktown where Washington was able to surround and defeat the British Army. But, have you ever heard his name? James Armistead, His Story James Armistead was one of […]

Prince Hall: Founder and Renowned Black Leader

November 15, 2022 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

Prince Hall: Building Blocks of Freedom for Slaves Known as a crucial black leader of his time, Prince Hall was one of the original Patriots of the American Revolution in Boston. Both he and his sons fought with George Washington as part of The Continental Army. He also founded the first Black American Organization and Institution in 1775, the first black mason organization. His best known quote: “My brethren, let us pay all due respect to all who God had put in places of honor over us: do justly and be faithful to them that hire you, and treat them with the respect they may deserve; but worship no man. Worship God, this much is your duty […]