Table of Contents
Declaration of Independence
WHEN, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with…
Abraham Clark
2 pages
Samuel Adams
2 pages
Josiah Bartlett
JOSIAH BARTLETT, Governor of New Hampshire, and the first from that State who signed the Declaration of Independence, was born in Amesbury…
Carter Braxton
CARTER BRAXTON was born in Newington, Virginia, on the 10th of September, 1736. His father was a wealthy planter, and his mother the…
Charles Carroll
4 pages
Samuel Chase
2 pages
George Clymer
GEORGE CLYMER was born in the city of Philadelphia, in 1739. His father emigrated from Bristol, in England, and became connected by…
William Ellery
WILLIAM ELLERY was born in Newport, Rhode Island, December 22d, 1727. He was graduated at Harvard College, in his twentieth year, and…
William Floyd
WILLIAM FLOYD was born on Long Island, December 17th, 1734. His father died while he was yet young, and left him heir to a large estate…
Benjamin Franklin
3 pages
Elbridge Gerry
2 pages
Button Gwinnett
BUTTON GWINNETT was born in England, about the year 1732, and on coming of age became a merchant in the city of Bristol. Some time after…
Lyman Hall
LYMAN HALL was born in Connecticut, about the year 1731. After receiving a collegiate education, and acquiring a competent knowledge of…
John Hancock
JOHN HANCOCK was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, in the year 1737. Both his father and grandfather were clergymen. Having lost the former…
Benjamin Harrison
BENJAMIN HARRISON was born in Berkley, Virginia. He was the descendant of a family distinguished in the history of the State, and was a…
John Hart
JOHN HART was the son of Edward Hart, of Hopewell, in the county of Hunterdon, in New Jersey. He inherited from his father a considerable…
Joseph Hewes
2 pages
Thomas Heyward
THOMAS HEYWARD was born in St. Luke's parish, in South Carolina, in the year 1746. His father was a pranter of fortune, and young Heyward…
William Hooper
WILLIAM HOOPER was born in Boston, on the 17th of June, 1742. He entered Harvard University at the age of fifteen, and was graduated in…
Stephen Hopkins
STEPHEN HOPKINS was born near Providence, (R. I.,) in a place now called Scituate, on the 7th of March, 1707. He was of respectable…
Francis Hopkinson
FRANCIS HOPKINSON was born in Philadelphia, in the year 1737. His father was an Englishman, who, a short time previous to his emigration to…
Samuel Huntington
SAMUEL HUNTINGTON was born in Windham, Connecticut, on the 2d of July, 1732. Being the eldest son, his father required his assistance on…
Francis Lightfoot Lee
FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE was born in Virginia, in 1734. He was the fourth son of Thomas Lee, who for several years held the office of…
Richard Henry Lee
2 pages
Francis Lewis
FRANCIS LEWIS was a native of Landaff, in South Wales, where he was born in the year 1713. Being left an orphan at the age of four or five…
Philip Livingston
PHILIP LIVINGSTON was born at Albany, on the 15th of January, 1716. He was the fourth son of Gilbert Livingston, and his ancestors were…
Thomas Lynch
THOMAS LYNCH was born on the 5th of August, 1749, at Prince George's Parish, in South Carolina.
Thomas M'Kean
THOMAS M'KEAN was of Irish descent, and born in New London Chester county, Pennsylvania, on the 19th of March, 1734. After completing the…
Arthur Middleton
ARTHUR MIDDLETON was born in the year 1743, in South Carolina, near the banks of the Ashley. At the age of twelve years, he was sent to the…
Lewis Morris
LEWIS MORRIS was born at the manor of Morrisania, in the State of New York, in the year 1726. He was educated at Yale College, of which…
Robert Morris
ROBERT MORRIS, the great financier of the American Revolution, was born in Lancashire, England, January, 1733-4, O. S., of respectable…
John Morton
JOHN MORTON was born in the county of Chester, (now Delaware,) in Pennsylvania. His ancestors were of Swedish extraction; and his father…
Thomas Nelson, Jun
THOMAS NELSON was born at York, in Virginia, on the 26th of December, 1738. At the age of fourteen, he was sent to England, and placed at a…
William Paca
WILLIAM PACA was born on the 31st of October, 1740. He was the second son of John Paca, a gentleman of large estate, who resided in…
Robert Treat Paine
ROBERT TREAT PAINE was born in Boston, in 1731. At the age of fourteen years, he became a member of Harvard College, and after leaving it…
John Penn
JOHN PENN was born in Caroline county, Virginia, on the 17th of May, 1741. His early education was greatly neglected; and at his father's…
George Read
GEORGE READ was born in Maryland, in the year 1734. Being designed by his parents for one of the learned professions, he was placed at a…
Ceasar Rodney
CEASAR RODNEY was a native of Dover, in Delaware where he was born about the year 1730. He inherited from his father a large landed estate…
George Ross
GEORGE ROSS was born at Newcastle, Delaware, in the year 1730. At the age of eighteen, he entered upon the study of the law, and when…
Benjamin Rush
BENJAMIN RUSH was born in Byberry, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of December, 1745. His father died when he was only six years of age, and the…
Edward Rutledge
EDWARD RUTLEDGE was born in Charleston, South Carolina, November, 1749. After receiving a respectable education in the learned languages…
Roger Sherman
ROGER SHERMAN was born in Newton, Massachusetts,>, on the 19th of April, 1721. He was early apprenticed to a shoemaker, and followed the…
James Smith
JAMES SMITH was born in Ireland, but at what period has not been ascertained. His father was a respectable farmer, who removed to America…
Richard Stockton
RICHARD STOCKTON was born near Princeton, New Jersey, on the first day of October, 1730, and received his education at the college in his…
Thomas Stone
THOMAS STONE was born in Charles county, Maryland in 1743. He was a descendant of William Stone, who was Governor of Maryland during the…
George Taylor
GEORGE TAYLOR was born in Ireland, in the year 1716. At a suitable age he commenced the study of medicine but his genius not being adapted…
Matthew Thornton
MATTHEW THORNTON was born in Ireland, about the year 1714. When he was two or three years old, his father emigrated to America, and, after…
George Walton
GEORGE WALTON was born in the country of Frederick, Virginia, about the year 1740. He was early apprenticed to a carpenter, who, being a…
William Whipple
WILLIAM WHIPPLE was born at Kittery, Maine, in the year 1730. His education was limited, and on leaving school, he entered on board a…
William Williams
WILLIAM WILLIAMS was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, on the 8th of April, 1731. At the age of sixteen he entered Harvard College, and after…
James Wilson
JAMES WILSON was born in Scotland, about the year 1747. He received an excellent education; studying successively at Glasgow, St. Andrews…
John Witherspoon
JOHN WITHERSPOON, alike distinguished as a minister of the gospel, and a patriot of the Revolution, was born in the parish of Yester, a few…
Oliver Wolcott
OLIVER WOLCOTT was born in Connecticut, in 1726 His family was ancient and distinguished; and his ancestors successively held a long list…
George Wythe
GEORGE WYTHE was born in the county of Elizabeth city. Virginia, in the year 1726. His mother, who was a woman of superior acquirements…
Constitution of the United States
WE, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for…
Article I
5 pages
Amendments to the Constitution
2 pages
Washington's Inaugural Address, April 30, 1789
Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives: AMONG the vicissitudes incident to life, no event could have filled me with…
Washington's First Annual Address January 8, 1790
Fellow-Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives: I embrace with great satisfaction the opportunity which now presents itself of…
Washington's Farewell Address, September 17, 1796
Friends and Fellow-Citizens:
Adams's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1797
WHEN it was first perceived, in early times, that no middle course for America remained, between unlimited submission to a foreign…
Adams's First Annual Address, November 23, 1797
2 pages
Jefferson's Inaugural Address. March 4, 1801
Friends and Fellow-Citizens:
Thomas Jefferson
THIRD president of the United States of America, under the constitution of 1789. He passed two years at the College of William and Mary…
Jefferson's First Annual Message, December 8, 1801
4 pages
Madison's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1809
UNWILLING to depart from examples of the most revered authority, I avail myself of the occasion now presented, to express the profound…
Madison's First Annual Message, November 29, 1809
2 pages
Monroe's Inaugural Address, March 5, 1817
I SHOULD be destitute of feeling if I was not deeply affected by the strong proof which my fellow-citizens have given me of their…
Monroe's First Annual Message, December 3, 1817
Fellow-Citizens of the Senate, and House of Representatives: AT no period of our political existence had we so much cause to felicitate…
J. Q. Adams's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1825
IN compliance with a usage coeval with the existence of our federal constitution, and sanctioned by the example of my predecessors in the…
J. Q. Adams's First Annual Message, December 6, 1825
10 pages
Jackson's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1829
Fellow-Citizens:
Jackson's First Annual Message. December 8, 1829
10 pages
Jackson's Farewell Address
3 pages
Van Buren's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1837
Fellow-Citizens:
Van Buren's First Annual Message, December 4, 1837
7 pages
Harrison's Inaugural Address, March 4, 1841
4 pages
Tyler's Address, April 9, 1841
IN just one month after entering upon his duties as President of the United States, William Henry Harrison died-the first that has died in…
Address to the People of the United States
Fellow-Citizens:
Tyler's First Annual Message, December 6, 1841
13 pages
Polk's Inaugural Address. March 4, 1845
3 pages
Polk's Mexican War Message
7 pages
Taylor's Inaugural Address. March 5, 1849
ELECTED by the American people to the highest office known to our laws, I appear here to take the oath prescribed by the Constitution, and…
Taylor's First Annual Message
12 pages
President Fillmore's Message
July 10, 1850.
Fillmore's First Annual Message. December 2, 1850
7 pages
Pierce's Inaugural Address
MY COUNTRYMEN: It is a relief to feel that no heart but my own can know the personal regret and bitter sorrow over which I have been borne…
George Washington,
3 pages
John Adams,
3 pages
James Madison
FOURTH president of the United States, was the son of James Madison, of Orange county, Vay and was born March 16th, 1751. He studied the…
James Monroe
FIFTH president of the United States, was a native of Virginia. He was educated at William and Mary College, and in 1776, joined the army…
John Quincy Adams,
SIXTH president of the United States, was the son of John Adams, second president of the United States. He was born in Quincy, Mass., in…
Andrew Jackson,
SEVENTH President of the United States, was born of Irish parents, at Waxaw, S.C., March 15, 1767. When fourteen years of age, he joined…
Martin Van Buren,
EIGHTH President of the United States, was born at Kinderhook, New York, December 5, 1782. His parents were of Dutch descent, and in humble…
William Henry Harrison,
NINTH President of the United States, was born in Charles City county, Virginia, on the 9th of February, 1773, and was the third son of…
John Tyler,
TENTH President of the United States, was born in Charles City county, Virginia, on the 21st of March, 1790. In his early youth he was…
James Knox Polk,
ELEVENTH President of the United States, was born in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, on the 2d of November, 1795. The original name of…
Zachary Taylor,
TWELFTH President of the United States, was born in Orange county, Virginia, in November, 1784. His father, Colonel Richard Taylor, soon…
Millard Fillmore,
THIRTEENTH President of the United States, was born in Cayuga county, New York, January the 7th, 1800. His father, Nathaniel Fillmore, was…
Franklin Pierce
2 pages