Historical Research Library
Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
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Antifederalist No. 46, 1788
An expression of Antifederalists’ concerns over federal power and the potential for tyranny in the proposed US Constitution
Key Document
Federalist No. 51, 1788
One of 85 essays advocating the ratification of the Constitution, providing insight into the different branches of government, particularly the importance of checks and balances and the separation of powers
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
George Washington’s First Inaugural Address, 1789
Precedent-setting speech that emphasized national unity, civic duty, and the importance of the Constitution, which set the tone for his presidency
Key Document
Bill of Rights, 1791
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution—hard-fought additions that protect some individual liberties and limit government power
Key Document
The Petition of the People of Colour of the State [of South Carolina],” April 30, 1794
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries a very small percentage of the Black population in South Carolina was not enslaved. They could not vote, did not have access to the same legal rights as White people, and were subject to special taxes, among other abuses. This petition sought to address and have rescinded one of those abuses, a poll tax aimed at free Black people.
Supporting Document
George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796
Washington’s warning against political divisions and foreign entanglements
Key Document