Founding Documents
Analyze the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Federalist 10, Brutus 1, and Federalist 51.
A lesson of AP United States Government and Politics, in Constitutional Foundations, about 10 minutes.
Foundational Documents of American Government
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to analyze the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and US Constitution as foundational texts, explaining their key ideas and how each shaped American government.
The Declaration of Independence (1776)
Purpose: justifying colonial separation from Britain; establishing the philosophical basis for self-government.
Key ideas:
Natural rights: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Source: John Locke's natural rights theory. Rights are inherent in persons, not granted by governments.
Social contract: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." Government exists to protect natural rights; authority flows upward from the people.
Right to alter or abolish: "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it." The people may disband a government that fails its purpose.
Grievances: the Declaration's body lists specific violations by King George III — these are the specific causes of separation, grounding the abstract argument in concrete historical experience.
Limitations: "all men are created equal" applied in practice only to white men with property. Slavery was preserved.
The Articles of Confederation (1781–1789)
Purpose: first framework of national government for the newly independent states.
Key structure:
- A unicameral Congress with one vote per state
- No executive branch; no national judiciary
- Major decisions required 9 of 13 states
- Amendments required unanimous consent
- Congress could NOT tax, regulate commerce, or enforce laws
Failures:
- Could not raise revenue — relied on voluntary state contributions
- Could not regulate trade between states — commerce was chaotic