Historical Research Library
Discover the people, events, and key documents that shaped the Founding Era.
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James Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, 1785
An argument against state-sponsored religion, defending religious freedom and the separation of church and state
Key Document
Shays’ Rebellion, 1786
An armed uprising by indebted Massachusetts farmers protesting economic injustice and demanding debt relief
Event
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
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
Whiskey Rebellion, 1794
Pennsylvania farmers violently resisted a federal whiskey tax—illustrating the tensions between frontiersmen and the new government’s authority
Event
Samuel Adams
One of the first Americans to challenge British rule and resist their policies in the 1760s and 1770s
Person
John Adams
A leading proponent of independence, a congressman, a diplomat, and the second President of the United States
Person
Richard Allen
Prominent Philadelphia advocate for abolition and civil rights and founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
Person
Nathanael Greene
Trusted aide to George Washington known for strategic brilliance and Revolutionary War victories
Person
Alexander Hamilton
A poor immigrant from the Caribbean who became a key figure in the Revolution and in establishing the US government
Person
George III
King of Great Britain viewed as a tyrant by colonists and a symbol of imperial rule
Person