Northwest Ordinance: Landmark 1787 Law Set the Foundation
On July 13, 1787, the Confederation Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, one of the most important and influential acts of the early republic. It established a bill of rights years before one was added to the Constitution, and prohibited slavery in the territory...
The Forgotten Declaration that Explained the War for Independence
We are “resolved to die freemen rather than live slaves.” These powerful words, penned by Thomas Jefferson and John Dickinson, hold a prominent place in the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, approved unanimously by the Second Continental...
Free and Independent: The Foreign Policy of Washington and Jefferson
Anxious to preserve their hard-won independence, Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson championed a foreign policy centered on avoiding “entangling alliances.” They envisioned America pursuing peace, trade, and “friendship with all...