History Archives - The Founding Project

America’s First Congress

March 27, 2026 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 […]

Russel, A World War Two Story

March 20, 2026 John Barrett 0

Russel, a story from World War II… The Founding Project staff noticed a veteran’s story posted on Facebook and asked the author to please share the story with TFP’s readers. This is just one story, but, in many ways, it is a story felt by many. Russel is one man and, in many ways, every man who saw combat in WWII. It is a glimpse of the heart, mind and life of one soldier from once upon a time in America…as told by his son. Special thanks to John Barrett for sharing his father’s story with us… [Editor’s Note: Subheadings were added to comply with SEO requirements for internet publication.] Russel, One Soldier’s Story […]

The Birth of The U. S. Constitution

March 17, 2026 John Barrett 7

The Birth of The Constitution of The United States of America A constitution is the document that constitutes or creates a government. It is a contract between the people and the government. As is described in the Declaration of Independence, under the American Constitution, the people grant certain powers to the government, and in return, the government is to secure the natural rights of the people. James Madison was the primary architect of the Constitution. He was the one who came to the convention with the ideas that resulted in the Constitution. Thomas Jefferson was not at the Constitutional Convention. He was the Ambassador to France at the time. However, there was a series of […]

Awuah: From Microsoft Millionaire to Educator

February 12, 2026 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

Awuah: From Microsoft to Ghana With so many Americans working from home now and especially so during the 2020 health emergency, we should thank one of the people, who was instrumental in making Internet Communications possible, Patrick Awuah, Jr. The Story of Patrick Awuah, Jr. Patrick Awuah, Jr. can be considered one of the Pioneers of Internet Communications. He was one of the original Microsoft Team Members in 1988 who developed the first Dial Up Applications. He left all of that and his life as an American multi-millionaire before the age of 30 and returned to his home in Ghana to found Ashesi University in Accra, Ghana. Here are his words and here is his […]

Articles of Confederation, Part 2: Confederacy Lessons Learned

February 1, 2026 Shannon D. Hanson 0

The Articles of Confederation, Part 2 The Articles of Confederation formed the first government of America, but it did not last long. The idea of a weak central government and strong state governments appealed to colonists who had come to fear any type of strong central government. Their prior experiences with England warranted this. A confederacy appealed to the colonists, because of that fear. In Shannon D. Hanson’s first article about the Articles of Confederation, he explained the basics about that document. His follow-up article explains the difficulties that came with having a central government that was too weak. Links to Hanson’s first article about the Articles of Confederation and also the full text of […]

The Forgotten Articles of Confederation

January 24, 2026 Shannon D. Hanson 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 Incomparable Josephine Baker

January 7, 2026 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

Josephine Baker: War Hero, Stage and Screen Star and Mother In honor of both Mother’s Day and the 76th Anniversary of The End of World War Two in Europe, here is the remarkable story of Josephine Baker, a war hero and mother to 12 (yes, twelve) adopted children… The Overview: American-born Josephine Baker became a famous Broadway singer and dancer in the U.S. in the 1920’s. She would eventually end up moving to France to become a movie star in 1925. In 1937, she opened her own night club the Chez Josephine, in Paris. After the fall of France to the Germans in 1940, Ms. Baker became a member of the French Resistance Movement. Her […]

The Hero of Pearl Harbor, the Dorie Story

December 7, 2025 Peter Crowell Anderson 0

The Hero of Pearl Harbor The Story of Dorie Miller, the Hero Who Saved Pearl Harbor 78 Years Ago, on December 7th 1941 Japan attached Pearl Harbor in Hawaii prompting Americas entry into World War Two. Dorie Miller became the first American Hero of World War Two due to his courageous actions on that day. Dorie’s Early Life Miller was born in Waco, Texas, on October 12, 1919, to Connery and Henrietta Miller. He was named Doris, as the midwife who assisted his mother was convinced the baby would be female. He was the third of four sons and helped around the house, cooking meals and doing laundry, as well as working on the family […]

The Making of a Tyrant: How Hitler Rose to Power

December 2, 2025 Tony Wyman 0

Hitler’s Rise to Power: How the Worst People Hoodwink a Nation Hitler…On September 12, 1919, a nondescript German corporal walked into a sparsely attended meeting of the German Workers’ Party in Munich. Sent there to investigate the group by the German Army, at that time deeply involved in crushing Marxist groups trying to gain power, the corporal sat at the back of the beer hall in which the meeting took place. The corporal listened while economist Gottfried Feder gave a speech called, “How and by What Means is Capitalism to be Eliminated.” Unimpressed with what he heard, the young corporal got up to leave. But, as he walked to the door, another speaker took Feder’s […]

The PreAmble: Bill of Rights

October 17, 2025 thefpAdmin 6

The PreAmble to the Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights was a specifically negotiated and planned addition to the U. S. Constitution as an assurance to guard against the federal government from becoming too powerful and to protect Individual Rights and there is importance to its PreAmble. The focus of the Bill of Rights is usually made upon the ten Amendments to the U. S. Constitution, which comprise the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights are the only amendments to the Constitution planned with a PreAmble and presented and ratified as a group of ten amendments. This PreAmble notes the purpose of the Bill of Rights and refers to the Fifth Article of […]