- July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence signed. Authored by
Thomas Jefferson, this document laid out grievances against
King John and presented "fundamental truths" drawn from other
great thinkers on individual liberty. It didn't say much
about what the US would be though, or how it would be structured.
- May 25, 1787: Federal Convension to revise the Articles of
Confederation, but instead a new Constitution resulted. The
Constitution lays out the basic structure of the US government and
sets limits on powers.
- September 25, 1789: First Congress meets, decides to add ammendments
to the constitution. 1st 10 are Bill of Rights. These were directly
in reaction to Britain's rule of the US, and a fear that the Constitution,
as written, gave too much power to the central government.
- Ammendments 11-27 came later (http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/constitution/amendments_11-27.html).
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