True Colors Annual Conference XIX
Celebrating Our Allies
Friday, March 16 & Saturday, March 17, 2012
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North East Digital Village
Vital Records
The Village aims to present information and resources consistent with our beliefs and interests. We don't ask that you agree, just that you take a look and take from our site what is useful to you. Beyond all, we support your right not to be just like us; not to think just like us. We ask the same from you.
We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of a national community. We are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present, unemployment, inflation, but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of America. We are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal.
~ Barbara Jordan, 1976 Democratic National Convention Keynote Address
(Delivered 12 July 1976, New York, NY)
Surely, as Barbara Jordan said in 1976 - we are again today, "a people in a quandry". Without understanding how these United States of America came to be - came to learn and grow - without knowing her struggles, her mistakes and her triumphs, we surely will not find our way to the future - "fulfilling the promise of America".
From here you will find paths to knowledge, and to others thoughts about our country's past and future. Know our history - so you may lead your family, your community and your nation to the future. To a future in which the conduct of our citizens and our leaders reflect - through strength and sacrifice, truth and tolerance, courage and compassion - our founding principles .
Historical Documents & Speeches
Declaration of Independence: Full text with links to enhanced information.
Articles of Confederation: Agreed to by Congress November 15, 1777; ratified and in force, March 1, 1781
Bill of Rights: The United States Constitution was written in 1787. Two years later - in response to the outcry of the citizens of the new country who demanded protection of their basic civil rights - the first ten amendments, known collectively as the "Bill of Rights" were added.
Consitutional Amendments 11 - 19
Consitutional Amendments 20 - 27
John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address: Delivered January 20, 1961
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FInd Historical Documents Online
Keeping America Informed: US Government Printing Office cite: (access.gpo.gov):
U.S. House of Representatives Educational Links cite: (house.gov): Full explanation of thee legislative process and how laws are made as well as links to signifcant historical documents.
Historical Documents cite: (thomas.loc.gov): Primary Documents in American History from the Library of Congress: Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, The Federalist Papers.
100 Milestone Documents: cite: (ourdocuments.gov) The following is a list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
Top Ten
Lee Resolution (1776): Acting under the instruction of the Virginia Convention, Richard Henry Lee on June 7, 1776, introduced a resolution in the Second Continental Congress proposing independence for the colonies. The Lee Resolution contained three parts: a declaration of independence, a call to form foreign alliances, and "a plan for confederation."
Declaration of Independence (1776): Although the section of the Lee Resolution dealing with independence was not adopted until July 2, Congress appointed a committee on June 10 of five to draft a statement of independence for the colonies. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman, with the actual writing delegated to Jefferson.
Articles of Confederation (1777): On June 11, 1776, the Second Continental Congress appointed three committees in response to the Lee Resolution. One of these committees, created to determine the form of a confederation of the colonies, was composed of one representative from each colony with John Dickinson, a delegate from Delaware, as the principal writer.
Treaty of Alliance with France (1778): Believing that they would benefit militarily by allying themselves with a powerful nation, the revolutionary colonies formed an alliance with France against Great Britain. According to this first military treaty of the new nation, signed on February 6, 1778, the United States would provide for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized.
Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States (1782): Just a few hours after the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the first committee to design a seal for the United States was appointed, and its design began. After undergoing numerous changes, on June 20, 1782, the seal was officially adopted by the Continental Congress.
Treaty of Paris (1783): The American War for Independence was actually a world conflict, involving not only the United States and Great Britain but also France, Spain, and the Netherlands. This treaty, signed on September 3, 1783, between the American colonies and Great Britain, ended the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation.
Virginia Plan (1787): On May 29, 1787, Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph proposed what became known as "The Virginia Plan." Written primarily by fellow Virginian James Madison, the plan traced the broad outlines of what would become the U.S. Constitution: a national government consisting of three branches with checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power.
Northwest Ordinance (1787): Officially titled An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States North-West of the River Ohio, the Northwest Ordinance was passed on July 13, 1787 by the Second Continental Congress. It chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory.
Constitution of the United States (1787): Drafted in secret by delegates to the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787, this four-page document, signed on September 17, 1787, established the government of the United States.
Federalist Papers, No. 10 & No. 51 (1787-1788): The Federalist Papers, were a series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison between October 1787 and May 1788. The essays were published anonymously, under the pen name "Publius," primarily in two New York state newspapers of the time: The New York Packet and The Independent Journal. They were written to urge citizens of New York to support ratification of the proposed United States Constitution. Significantly, the essays explain particular provisions of the Constitution in detail. It is for this reason, and because Hamilton and Madison were members of the Constitutional Convention, that the Federalist Papers are often used today to help understand the intentions of those drafting the Constitution.
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Opinion & Analysis
Stop the Domestic Security Enhancement Act of 2003 cite: (aclu.org): American Civil Liberties Union states that new Department of Justice anti-terrorism legislation goes further than the USA PATRIOT Act in eroding checks and balances on Presidential power and contains a number of measures that are of questionable effectiveness, but are sure to infringe on civil liberties. If it becomes law, it will encourage police spying on political and religious activities, allow the government to wiretap without going to court and dramatically expand the death penalty under an overbroad definition of terrorism. GO to the ACLU info page to learn more
Keep America Safe & Free (Surveillance Under the USA Patriot Act) cite: (aclu.org): Just six weeks after the September 11 attacks, a panicked Congress passed the "USA/Patriot Act," an overnight revision of the nation's surveillance laws that vastly expanded the government's authority to spy on its own citizens, while simultaneously reducing checks and balances on those powers like judicial oversight, public accountability, and the ability to challenge government searches in court.
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