The Founding Documents: Where Were They Signed?

The United States Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are known collectively as the Charters of Freedom. These documents have secured the rights of the American people for centuries and are considered fundamental to the founding and philosophy of the United States. The Declaration of Independence expresses the ideals on which the US was founded and its reasons for separation from Great Britain. It was signed on August 2, 1776, at the Pennsylvania State House, later renamed Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. The Constitution defines the framework of the Federal Government, and the Bill of Rights outlines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the Government.

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The US Constitution was written in Philadelphia in 1787

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, who was influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights and George Mason's draft of the same. The document was signed by 56 representatives from the 13 colonies, including John Hancock, whose name has become another way of referring to a signature. The Declaration of Independence was not a legally binding document, but it was powerful and provided the foundation for the Bill of Rights.

The US Constitution, on the other hand, defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States. It was written during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, with only six men signing both it and the Declaration of Independence: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson. Thomas Jefferson was not involved in writing the Constitution, as he was serving as the American Minister to France at the time.

The Constitution included the "Three-Fifths Compromise", which allowed each slave to count as three-fifths of a person when determining representation in Congress and taxation. This was because smaller, Southern slave-owning states were concerned about larger states having too much power in the House of Representatives. The Constitution also included the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the Government.

Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia in 1776

The Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are collectively known as the Charters of Freedom, and they have secured the rights of Americans since the country's founding. The Declaration of Independence, which has no domestic legal force, expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for its separation from Great Britain.

Jefferson himself admitted that the Declaration contained no original ideas but was instead a reflection of the sentiments widely shared by supporters of the American Revolution. He was influenced by various sources, including Swiss jurist Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, de Vattel's "The Law of Nations," and the Scottish Enlightenment. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, particularly the draft written by George Mason in June 1776, also provided a foundation for the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence has undergone conservation challenges, and the most frequently reproduced version is the 1823 engraving by William J. Stone, commissioned by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams. The original engrossed copy is now on permanent display at the National Archives in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.

The US Constitution was signed in 1787 and ratified in 1788

The US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights are known collectively as the Charters of Freedom. These documents have secured the rights of the American people for over two centuries and are considered fundamental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.

The Declaration of Independence, expressing the ideals on which the United States was founded and its reasons for separation from Great Britain, was adopted in July 1776. By this time, the Thirteen Colonies and the Kingdom of Great Britain had been at war for over a year. The Declaration was influenced by various sources, including the Virginia Declaration of Rights, de Vattel's The Law of Nations, and the political philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment. It is not legally binding but holds great symbolic power.

The US Constitution, on the other hand, defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States. It was signed in 1787 and ratified in 1788. Only six men signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution: George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, George Read, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson. Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, was not involved in drafting the Constitution. He was in France serving as the American Minister at the time of the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

The Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence, is now on permanent display at the National Archives in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. The Rotunda, designed by architect John Russell Pope, features two murals by Barry Faulkner depicting fictional scenes of the "presentations" of these two foundational documents.

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The Declaration of Independence was adopted in July 1776

The Declaration of Independence, expressing the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for its separation from Great Britain, was adopted in July 1776. By this time, the Thirteen Colonies and the Kingdom of Great Britain had been at war for over a year. Relations had been deteriorating since 1763, with the British Parliament enacting measures to increase revenue from the colonies, including the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts. The colonists, unrepresented in Parliament, argued that it had no right to levy taxes upon them. This dispute was part of a larger divergence between British and American interpretations of the British Constitution.

The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights and George Mason's draft of the same. It was also influenced by Swiss jurist Jean-Jacques Burlamaqui, de Vattel's "The Law of Nations", and the Scottish Enlightenment. The document was signed by Congress and enshrined in the National Archives. It is considered one of the Charters of Freedom, along with the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it holds great symbolic power. It proclaims that "all men are created equal" and endowed with certain "unalienable Rights", including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". It also asserts the right of the people to "alter or abolish" any government that becomes destructive of these ends. This statement of widely shared sentiments among supporters of the American Revolution was a treasonous act in the eyes of England.

The original Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776, has been preserved and is on display at the National Archives in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. Over the years, the document has been reproduced and transferred to various locations for safekeeping. In 1820, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams commissioned a full-size copperplate engraving, which became the basis for most reproductions due to the poor conservation of the original.

The US Constitution is the oldest and longest-standing written national constitution

The US Constitution, on the other hand, defines the framework of the Federal Government of the United States. It establishes the rights and responsibilities of the government and the citizens, including the Bill of Rights, which comprises the first ten amendments. The Constitution has served as the basis of the US government for over two centuries and has only been seriously endangered once during the Civil War. Its principles have been influential, with many countries adopting them for their own governments.

The signing of the Declaration of Independence was a significant event in American history, with most of the delegates signing on August 2, 1776, but signatures continued to be added through the fall of 1776 and possibly as late as 1781. The document was engrossed on parchment, likely by Timothy Matlack, and the first formal public readings took place simultaneously in Philadelphia, Trenton, and Easton on July 8, 1776. The original Declaration of Independence is now on permanent display at the National Archives in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, where it has been preserved under exacting archival conditions due to its fragile state from years of public display.

The US Constitution was ordered to be engrossed on parchment as well, requiring four sheets of parchment of similar size to the Declaration, and the signatures appear on the fourth sheet. The Constitution was engrossed by Jacob Shallus, and the signing took place in the same location as the Declaration of Independence, with delegates such as Roger Sherman, George Clymer, Benjamin Franklin, and Robert Morris signing both documents. The Syng inkstand was used at the signing of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, further linking these important documents in American history.

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