| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
xx, 587 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Note |
Includes index. |
| Summary |
"Nearly 200 timeless documents that define the American character -- from the nation's beginnings to today."--cover. |
| Contents |
"Just and equal laws" The Mayflower Compact (1620) -- "Shall be punished with death" The Maryland Act of Toleration (1649) -- "Each colony may retain its constitution" Benjamin Franklin's Plan of Union (1754) -- "Rights and grievances" The Stamp Act Congress (1765) -- "Give me liberty, or give death!" Patrick Henry (1775) -- "We are determined to foment a rebellion" Abigail Adams Writes Her Husband (1776) -- "All power is ... derived from the people" The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) -- "We hold these truths to be self-evident" The Declaration of Independence (1776) -- "Sovereignty, freedom, and independence" The Articles of Confederation (1781) -- "Acknowledges ... free, sovereign, and independent States" The Paris Peace Treaty (1783) -- "To advance the interests of the Union" The Annapolis Convention (1786)-- "To form a more perfect Union" The Constitution of the United States (1787-1992) -- "It is your interest to adopt it" The Federalist number 1 (1787) -- "We behold a ... remedy" The Federalist number 10 (1788) -- "Happiness depends ... much on the modes of government" Mercy Warren, A Columbian Parriot (1788) --"Courts shall have power to issue writs" The Judiciary Act (1789) -- "A law repugnant to the Constitution is void" Marbury v. Madison (1803) -- "No person ... shall ever be molested on account of his mode of worship or religious sentiments" The Northwest Ordinance (1787) -- "A new and entire member of the United States of America" Vermont Adopts the Constitution (1791) -- "A strong proof of ... friendship" The Louisiana Purchase (1803) -- "An ample journal ... must afford much intelligence" Lewis & Clark (1806) -- "Free exercise of their religion" Adams-Onis Treaty: U.S. Title to the Florida (1819) -- "Such fugitive may be ... reclaimed" The Missouri Compromise (1820) -- "Said State to be formed" The U.S. Annexes Texas (1845) -- "The forty-ninth parallel of north latitude" The Oregon Treaty (1846) -- "The U.S. engages to pay ... The sum of $15-million" Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848) |
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"Seven million two hundred thousand dollars in gold" The U.S. Buys Alaska (1867) -- "No further immigration of Chinese" Annexing the Hawaiian Islands (1898)-- "Speaking and writing truth" Freedom of the Press (1735) -- "All inhabitants are entitled" New Jersey Women and Blacks Can Vote (1776) -- "I will be as harsh as truth" Garrison Publishes The Liberator (1831) -- "Woman is man's equal" Women's Rights (1848) -- "Rights of property in a slave is distinctly and expressly affirmed in the Constitution" The Dred Scott Decision (1857) -- "Be it enacted" Female Suffrage in Wyoming (1869) -- "Social equality is the extremest folly" Booker T. Washington Represents the Negro Race (1895) -- "Legislation is powerless to eradicate racial instincts" Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) -- "All mothers welcome" Margaret Sanger's "Dodger" (1916) -- "Thought .... should be freely expressed" American Civil Liberties Union Creed (1929) --"Such segregation is a denial of the equal protection of the laws" Brown v. Board of Education (1954) -- "No ... qualification ... shall be imposed or applied" Voting Rights (1965) -- "Riot means a public disturbance involving an act or acts of violence" Civil Rights Act (1968) -- "On behalf of herself and all other women similarly situated" Roe v. Wade (1973) -- "Human rights are women's rights" Hillary Rodham Clinton in Beijing (1995) --"To prevent the exercise of worldly anxiety" Brook Farm (1841) -- "A more effective supervision of banking" The Federal Reserve System (1913) -- "Reflected the spirit of the American people" Herbert Hoover on Republicanism (1928) -- "Bid depression go" The Townsend Plan (1933) -- "Will take care of human needs" F.D.R. Signs Social Security Bill (1935) -- "One citizen has as much right to play as another" The Majors Sign a Black Baseballer (1947) -- "Mississippi and Alabama will be transformed" Martin Luther King, Jr., Has a dream (1963) -- "Give maximum encouragement" The National Historic Preservation Act (1966-1992) |
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"We are ... in search of a national community" Barbara Jordan: Keynote Address, Democratic Convention (1976) -- "O! long may it wave" The Star-Spangled Banner (1814) -- "Give me your tired, your poor" The New Colossus (1886) -- "God shed His grace on thee" America the Beautiful (1895) -- "Each search ... is unique" How to Find Your Immigrant Ancestor's Ship (1996) -- "Time (for) ... an open and manly avowal" Calhoun on Slavery (1850) -- "All one thing, or all the other" Lincoln's "Huse Divided" Speech (1858) -- "Early on one frosty mornin'" Dixie (1859) -- "Union ... is hereby dissolved" An Ordinance of Secession (1860) -- "I have no purpose ... to interfere with the institution of slavery" Lincoln's First Inaugural (1861) -- "Importation of negroes ... is ... hereby forbidden" The Constitution of the Confederate States of American (1861) -- "The most eventful year" Jefferson Davis's Inaugural Address (1862) -- "Shall be ... forever free" The Emancipation Proclamation (1863) -- "That these dead shall not have died in vain" Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (1863) -- "Achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace" Lincoln's Second Inaugural (1865) -- 3,893,635 The First Census (1790) -- "Fit up a suitable apartment" The Library of Congress (1800) -- "Appeal to the friends of humanity" The Amistad Affair (1839) -- "The ball must be pitched" Baseball's Original Rules (1845) -- "Restore the government 'to the plain people'" The Populist Part Platform (1892) -- "Maintain the highest ... moral ... standards" The Hays Formula (1924) -- "A maximum of employment in all localities" W.P.A. (1935) -- "To all it is a trouble" An American Dilemma (1944) -- "Shall be entitled to vocational rehabilitation" The G.I. Bill (1944) -- "One of the most publicized tragedies" Investigating Pearl Harbor (1946) -- "The pools ... shall terminate" Abolishing Immigration Quotas (1965) -- "No vision, the people perish" The Arts and Humanities Act (1965) -- "Marriage is a coming together" Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) |
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"Reversed" Federal Communications Commission v. Pacific Foundation (1978) -- "To restore the bonds of trust" Contract with America (1994) -- "I was summoned by my country" First Presidential Inaugural Address (1789) -- "Exalt the just pride of patriotism" Washington's Farewell Address (1796) -- "The sum of good government" Jefferson's First Inaugural (1801) -- "Dangerous to our peace and safety" The Monroe Doctrine (1823) -- " ... Has invaded our territory and shed American blood" President Polk: War with Mexico (1846) -- "General association of nations must be formed" President Wilson's Fourteen Points (1918) -- "Fear only fear itself" F.D.R.'s First Inaugural Address (1933) -- "We had a bad ... situation" President Roosevelt on the Banking Holiday (1933) -- "Eliminate the dollar sign" Lend-Lease (1940) -- "We must have ... more of everything" The Arsenal of Democracy (1940) -- "Full participation in the national defense" Banning Discrimination (1941) -- "A date which will live in infamy." U.S. Declares War Against Japan (1941) -- "Protection against espionage and sabotage" Excluding Persons from Prescribed Military Areas (1942) --"If the people command me" The President Would Accept a Fourth Term (1944) -- "Total victory" V-J Day (1945) -- "A Jewish state has been proclaimed" U.S. Recognizes Israel (1948) -- "The highest standards of democracy" Eliminating Military Segregation (1948) -- "To ... give cover and support." Truman Orders U.S. into the Korean War (1950) -- With deep regret" President Truman Fires General MacArthur (1951) -- "Guard against ... the military-industrial complex" Ike's Farewell (1961) -- "Space is open to us now" Urgent National Need: Men on the Moon (1961) -- "The finest men and women" The Peace Corps (1961) -- "By whatever means may be necessary" Interdicting Soviet Weapons to Cuba (1962) -- "I would have preferred to carry through" President Richard M. Nixon Resigns (1974) -- "I cannot prolong the bad dreams" President Ford Pardons Former President Nixon ( 1974) |
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"Panama shall ... maintain military forces" Treaty Concerning the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal (1977) -- "Problem ... are ... deeper than gasoline lines" President Carter on America's "Malaise" (1979] -- "Responded to the wishes of its people" The Berlin Wall Cracks (1989) -- "The right thing to do" Gays in the Military (1993) --"We can bridge this great divide" President Clinton on Race Relations (1995) -- "The President shall restore ... spending limits" Line Item Veto (1996) --"Object of these laws is to establish peace:" The Iroquois Federation Constitution (c.1570) -- "Why do white people differ so much about ... the Book?" Red Jacket On Religion (1805) -- "War ... shall forever cease" The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) -- "Eventually acquire the arts of civilized life" The Black Hills Treaty (1877) -- "I will fight no more forever" Chief Joseph Surrenders (1877) -- "An Indian is a 'person'" Standing Bear v. Crook (1879) -- "The government has never been intent upon robbing the Indians" Carl Schurz on the Indian Dilemma (1881) -- "All allotments shall be selected by the Indians" The Dawes Act (1887) -- "Authorized to proclaim new Indian reservations" The Indian Reorganization Act (1934) -- "The Indian future determined by Indian acts ... decisions" President Nixon on Indian Affairs (1970) |
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"Examinations of specimens shall be made" The Pure Food and Drug Act (1906) -- "Permits ... for excavation ... may be granted" The Antiquities Act (1906) -- "Shall have power to construct such dams, and reservoirs" The Tennessee Valley Authority Act (1933) -- "Unknown factors are involved" Developing Atomic Energy (1946) -- "To promote the public health and welfare." -- The Clear Air Act (1970) -- "All possible sources of energy be developed" The Energy Reorganization Act (1974) -- "Ordered, adjudged, and decreed" Breaking Up AT&T (1982) -- "The task has fallen on my shoulders" Corazon C. Aquino Addresses the Congress (1986) -- "Some 43,000,000 Americans have ... physical or mental disabilities" Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) --"Entitled to enter one quarter section" The Homestead Act (1862) -- "U.S. shall extinguish ... rapidly ... Indian titles to all land" The Pacific Railway Act (1862) -- "No mineral lands shall be selected or purchased" Public Lands for Colleges (1862) -- "The first period of American history is closed" The End of the Frontier (1893) -- "Immediately to cause suit to be instituted" Teapot Dome (1924) -- "To promote the highest use of the public lands" The Grazing Act (1934) -- "Stimulate the health and welfare of Man" The National Environmental Policy Act (1969) -- "Inviolable ... peace ... sincere friendship" The Jay Treaty (1749) -- "Sincere and cordial amity" The Treaty of Kanagawa (1854) -- "Spain relinquishes ... Cuba" The Spanish-American War Treaty (1899) -- "We regard the condition at Pekin as one of virtual anarchy" China and the Open Door (1900) -- "I had ... a swell racket" General Butler: Racketeer for Capitalism (1931) -- "I trust that relations ... may remain ... friendly" The U.S.S.R. (1933) -- "Common principles in ... national policies" The Atlantic Charter (1941) -- "From Stettin in the Baltic to Triestre in the Adriatic" Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech (1946) |
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"The rehabilitation of Europe" The Marshall Plan (1947) -- "To promote stability and well-being" The North Atlantic Treaty (1949) -- "The importance of Southeast Asia to the security of the United States" U.S. Goals in Southeast Asia (1952) -- "The Government had not met that burden" The Pentagon Papers (1971) -- "There are essential differences ... in their systems and foreign policies" The Shanghai Communique (1972) -- "The President ... shall consult with Congress" The War Powers Resolution (1973) -- "Obtained the approval of the President" Oliver North Testifies (1987) -- "The targets being struck tonight" The Gulf War (1991) -- "Unlimited is in itself a bad and dangerous thing" Tocqueville: Democracy in America (1835) --"Books are the best things" Ralph Waldo Emerson: The American Scholar (1837) -- "That government is best which governs not at all" Thoreau on Civil Disobedience (1846) -- "An immense amount of reading matter" The New-York Daily Times (1851) -- "So large a circulation in so short a time" The New-York Daily Times (1851) -- "An extraordinary task" The New-York Times (1896) -- "Leaves of Grass ... Extraordinary" Emerson Writes Whitman (1855) -- "Spend the surplus ... for benevolent purposes" The Carnegie Memorandum (1868) -- "No obscene ... publication" The Comstock Acts (1873) -- "Give free play to every instinct of human nature" Looking Backward (1888) -- "Longest 57 seconds" The Wrights Fly (1903) -- "I am opposed to the social system" Eugene V. Debs Goes to Prison (1918) -- "May also accept ... motion-picture films" The National Archives (1934) -- "It may become possible to set up a nuclear chain reaction" Einstein Writes the President (1939) -- "An impregnable defense for America" America First (1940) -- "The most powerful voice in America" A "Vast Wasteland" (1961) -- " Our liberals friends ... know so much that isn't so!" Ronald W. Reagan: "The Speech" (1964) -- "Anxious to obtain a place for themselves" The Kerner Report (1968) |
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"Computer software company exceeds $1-billion in sales in year" Microsoft Timeline (1975 -1996) -- "Pray ... for those ... struggling in poverty" Economic Justice for All (1986) -- "Copyright protects expression" Association of American Publishers on the NII Copyright Protection Act of 1995 (1996) -- "I have done it the hard way" Senator Dole Takes Up the Gauntlet (1996) -- "Fallen cold and dead" O Captain! My Captain! (1865) -- "The world cries our for such ..." A Message to Garcia (1899) -- "A fair and just system" The Peacetime Draft (1940) -- "My side of the case" Richard M. Nixon's Checkers Speech (1952) -- "Liberals must speak out" A Statement by Elia Kazan (1952) -- "Acted contrary to ... ethics" The Senate Censures Senator McCarthy (1954) -- "The shots ... were fired by Lee Harvey Oswald" The Warren Commission Report (1964) -- "Reason ... must ... guide our decision" Barbara Jordon On impeaching President Nixon (1974) |
| Subject |
United States -- History -- Sources.
|
| Added Author |
Agel, Jerome.
|
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Cantor, Milton.
|
| ISBN |
0679449590 |
|
9780679449591 |
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