Historical Documents

Amanda enjoys learning about our history. Today she is going to take a trip and learn about three important documents. All of these documents were written many years ago. Amanda is going to use her time machine to go back in time to get a better idea of our history. Let’s take a look with Amanda!

Amanda’s first stop is a document that was signed back in 1776. That was many, many years ago. This document was the beginning of our freedoms and it is called the Declaration of Independence. This document lists the reasons for separation from Great Britain. The document explained that the 13 original colonies of America were “free and independent states”. John Hancock, acting as President of the Congress, signed the document first.

The next document Amanda sees has many amendments written on it. She counts each one and finds the total to be 10 amendments. This document is called the Bill of Rights. The first ten Amendments to the Constitution were passed in 1791. The purpose of the Bill of Rights is to give rights and civil liberties, such as the freedom of religion, the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, trial by jury, and much more!

The last document Amanda will cover today is called the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution describes the framework of the Federal Government of the United States. This document led to the creation of the nation’s most important laws and three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. Our U.S. Constitution is a set of rules that guides how our country and citizens should live.

Rules and laws keep us safe! All of these documents allow the United States of America to have those freedoms, but also keep everyone safe. Amanda can’t wait for another history tour in her time machine. See you next time!