Documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention

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Image, "The. . . Colonies Declared. . . ," William Hamilton, 1783, LoC
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These 274 sources focus on the work of the Continental Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, including manuscript annotations. The collection includes extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, and treaties. In addition, there are documents relating to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, extracts of proceedings of state assemblies and conventions relating to the ratification of the Constitution, several essays on the ratification of the Constitution, and early printed versions of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

There are 253 titles dating from 1774 to 1788 relating to the Constitutional Congress and 21 dating from 1786 to 1789 relating to the Constitutional Convention. Two timelines cover the period 1764 to 1789 and an essay entitled "To Form a More Perfect Union" provides historical context for the documents through an overview of the main events of the era of the Revolution.

Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920

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Image for Evolution of the Conservation Movement, 1850-1920
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These published works, manuscripts, images, and motion picture footage address the formation of the movement to conserve and protect America's natural heritage. Materials include 62 books and pamphlets, 140 Federal statutes and Congressional resolutions, 34 additional legislative documents, and excerpts from the Congressional Globe and the Congressional Record. An additional 360 presidential proclamations, 170 prints and photographs, two historic manuscripts, and two motion pictures are available.

Materials include Alfred Bierstadt paintings, period travel literature, a photographic record of Yosemite, and Congressional acts regarding conservation and the establishment of national parks. An annotated chronology discusses events in the development of the conservation movement with links to pertinent documents and images.

Tilden or Blood

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On the eve of the Supreme Court's decision in Bush v. Gore, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin describes the controversy surrounding the 1876 contest between Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden.

National Election Studies

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Image for National Election Studies
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This wealth of data presents National Election Studies surveys of the American electorate conducted in presidential and congressional election years from 1948 to 2006. Large files of raw data can be downloaded. In addition, The ANES Guide to Public Opinion and Electoral Behavior is available and is readily accessible.

Composed of more than 100 tables and graphs, the guide traces nine key variables in the makeup and opinions of the electorate. These include: social and religious characteristics; partisanship and evaluation of political parties; ideological self-identification; public opinion on public policy issues; support for the political system; political involvement and partisanship; evaluation of presidential candidates; evaluation of congressional candidates; and vote choice. This website also provides pilot studies on recent surveying issues, such as measuring exposure to television advertisements, and a 5,000-item bibliography.

Century of Lawmaking: Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873

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Image Century of Lawmaking for..: Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873
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This comprehensive set of Congressional documents covers the nation's founding through early Reconstruction. Materials are organized into four categories: Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention; Statutes and Documents; Journals of Congress; and Debates of Congress. The site provides descriptions of 16 types of documents, including bills and resolutions, American State Papers, the U.S. Serial Set, Journals of the Continental Congress, the Congressional Globe, and the Congressional Record.

A presentation addresses the making of the Constitution that introduced an 1834 compilation of Congressional debates and proceedings and a timeline presents American history as seen in Congressional documents. Special attention is directed to Revolutionary diplomatic correspondence, Indian land cessions, the Louisiana Purchase, the Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861–1865, the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, and the electoral college.

Liberty, Checks and Balances, and the Constitution, Part Two

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Idaho State University Political Science Professor David Gray Adler examines what he describes as the great constitutional crisis of the day: the usurpation and abdication of constitutional roles by President and Congress. Building his argument on the concerns of the Framers, Dr. Adler points to the endangerment to liberty posed by the erosion of checks and balances.

Audio and video options are available.

Wilson and the Reform of Congress

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Professor Ronald J. Pestritto examines the political progressive beliefs of Woodrow Wilson, focusing on Wilson's views on the appropriate function of legislature in government and his suggested reforms for Congress.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session eight, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.

The Constitutional Basis of the American Nation

Description

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga looks at the 1819 U.S. Supreme Court case McCulloch v. Maryland, in which a cashier of the Baltimore branch of the Second National Bank of the United States petitioned against the state of Maryland for obstructing the functioning of that bank. Sikkenga looks at how the decision against Maryland, under Chief Justice John Marshall, established the Constitution as the basis of justice in the U.S.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session three, and select the Real Audio link to the left of the main text.