Historical Research Library

Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.

Singers and dancers focused on Chris Jackson playing George Washington

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John Adams, Letter to Richard Henry Lee, November 15, 1775

John Adams on a New Form of Government, 1775

More than a decade before the Constitutional Convention in 1787—and months before the United States declared independence—John Adams wrote a plan for a new form of government for the American colonies. The ideas presented in this letter had a profound influence on the state constitutions of Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, and ultimately, the federal Constitution.

Supporting Document

The Stamp Act, published in London, 1765 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

The Stamp Act, 1765

A tax on printed materials imposed by Britain on American colonies—sparking widespread protest and contributing to revolutionary sentiments

Key Document

“To the Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth,” by Phillis Wheatley, in Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, London, 1773 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Phillis Wheatley’s Poem on Tyranny and Slavery, 1772

An eloquent condemnation of oppression and slavery, written for the British secretary of state for the colonies, showcasing Wheatley’s literary talent, and advocacy for freedom

Key Document

Bostonian’s Paying the Excise-man, or Tarring and Feathering

Boston Tea Party, 1773

Colonial tax protest in which American patriots dumped British tea into Boston Harbor

Event

"First Continental Congress," by Allyn Cox, 1974 (Architect of the Capitol)

First Continental Congress, 1774

A gathering of American colonial delegates in Philadelphia to address grievances against British rule and advocate for colonial rights

Event

Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, 1775 (Thomas Jefferson Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress)

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

The Olive Branch Petition, July 8, 1775 (The New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division)

Olive Branch Petition, 1775

The Continental Congress’s last major attempt to avoid war with Great Britain

Key Document

The Farmer Refuted: or, A More Impartial and Comprehensive View of the Dispute between Great-Britain and the Colonies</em> (James Rivington: New York, 1775) (Courtesy New-York Historical Society)

The Farmer Refuted, 1775

A defense of American colonial rights against British tyranny secretly written by Alexander Hamilton—fueling revolutionary sentiment

Key Document

Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, 1776 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Common Sense, 1776

Influential pamphlet by Thomas Paine advocating American independence from British rule and inspiring revolutionary sentiment

Key Document

Map showing Howe's attack on Washington's forces on Long Island, August 1776 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, GLC04177)

New York and New Jersey Campaigns, 1776

A series of Revolutionary War military actions in which British forces gained control over New York and New Jersey

Event

Declaration of Independence, Charleston, South Carolina, printed August 2, 1776 (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Declaration of Independence, 1776

The founding document that asserted colonial autonomy, enumerated grievances, and set forth the ideals of a new nation

Key Document

The Articles of Confederation, 1777. (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)

Articles of Confederation Ratified, 1781

The first attempt at establishing the relationship—a “firm league of friendship”—between the thirteen colonies

Key Document