Historical Research Library
Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
Explore our Resources
Filter by person, event, document, and theme.
Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms, 1775
An address listing the colonists’ grievances and asserting the right to self-defense
Key Document
Olive Branch Petition, 1775
The Continental Congress’s last major attempt to avoid war with Great Britain
Key Document
Patrick Henry’s Speech to Second Virginia Convention, 1775
An impassioned call to arms, advocating for colonial resistance against British oppression, and famously declaring, "Give me liberty or give me death!"
Key Document
The Farmer Refuted, 1775
A defense of American colonial rights against British tyranny secretly written by Alexander Hamilton—fueling revolutionary sentiment
Key Document
Thomas Jefferson on Manumitting Slaves, 1789
Letter sent from Paris reflecting on freeing slaves—revealing his conflicting beliefs on liberty and equality amid the revolution
Supporting Document