“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
On Dec. 6, 1775, the Second Continental Congress responded to King George III’s proclamation of rebellion, reaffirming the colonists’ loyalty to the crown but reasserting their right to resist unconstitutional acts of Parliament. King George issued A...
On this date in 1775, Benjamin Franklin introduced in the Second Continental Congress a formal plan for a confederation of the American colonies. Franklin introduced his plan, “The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union,” nearly a year before...
On this date in 1776, John Dickinson presented the first draft of the Articles of Confederation to the Continental Congress. Congress began considering a plan for a new government even before declaring independence. On June 7, 1776, following instructions from...
Two months after the battles of Lexington and Concord, the British offered amnesty to all who would lay down their arms. Unsurprisingly, the Patriots didn’t respond too kindly to the deal. While the “shot heard ‘round the world” is well-known for kicking off the War...