A Founding Father in uniform
This 1923 drawing by artist D. Falls depicts Captain Alexander Hamilton, of the Provincial Company, New York Artillery, in 1776. Born in 1755 in the British West...
Constitution of the United States
The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the...
Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and...
How free is free speech?
Seven years after the Bill of Rights was ratified, guaranteeing freedom of speech, Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1798, prohibiting criticism of the Government....
Running on empty
In August 1778 the paymaster general of the Continental Army informed Gen. George Washington that the military chest was entirely exhausted. Washington passed this...
Signed by Jefferson
The year was 1780. The British were launching an invasion of the South. And, like many states, Virginia was having problems raising troops. On January 24, Virginia...
The eagle lands
The third committee to design the Great Seal met on May 4, 1782, and consulted William Barton, a student of heraldry. His designs, completed five days later,...