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Magna Carta
"The Great Charter" was created in England following negotiations between King John and his Barons, who took over London in protest of the King's taxes and cruelty. The document gave all free men the right to justice and fair trial (however the vast majority of the population were peasants and were not "free"). The Magna Carta is echoed in the US Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). -
The Mayflower Compact
Thought to have influenced the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution, the Mayflower Compact was a legal document outlining an agreement between those on the Mayflower. The document was created in the interest of maintaining order and a civil society in the New World. -
Adam Smith "The Wealth of Nations"
A Scottish economist and philosopher, Adam Smith wrote "The Wealth of Nations" in 1776, which explains that he believed government should be limited to "maintaining defense, keeping order, building infrastructure, and promoting education." A main theme of the book is that the market economy should be open and free. -
Declaration of Independence
In a bold move, representatives of the colonies declare independence from Great Britain. The Continental Congress voted for such freedom on July 2nd, 1776, and adopted the document on July 4th. The DoI listed grievances with King George III for his taking advantage of the colonists, as well as the famous claim that all men were created equal, and all were entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were a series of letters written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and sent to newspapers around the newly formed United States in an effort to sway the states to ratify the Constitution. It had been agreed at the Philadelphia Convention that 9 or 13 states needed to ratify the document, so propaganda was employed to gain support. -
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft wrote "A Vindication of the Rights of Women" in 1792, showcasing her activism of women's rights. She claimed in her writings that women should be afforded the same rights that had traditionally been held for men at that point. She was an accomplished writer, even though she was a woman and had no "aristocratic sponsor." -
Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I A Woman"
Born into slavery in 1797, Isabella Baumfree escaped in 1827 and later became a preacher and changed her name to Sojourner Truth. She became involved in the anti-slavery and women's rights movements, and in 1851 gave her now famous "Ain't I A Woman" speech at a women's rights convention in Akron, Ohio. Her speech was of great motivation for women, slaves, and other abolitionists. -
Abraham Lincoln"s Gettysburg Address
In November 1863 President Abraham Lincoln gave is now famous Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania at the dedication of a Civil War cemetery. One of the more memorable lines is: "we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain." -
Derrick Bell
Derrick Bell was a civil rights activist who was involved in over 300 school desegregation cases in the south. He resigned numerous positions in protest: the first in 1959 because he refused to give up his NAACP membership to satisfy the Justice Department. He then resigned as Dean of Oregon Law when they refused to hire an Asian American woman, and later staged a 5 day sin-in in his office at Harvard Law when they refused to "give tenure to two female professors of color." -
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"
Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famed "I Have a Dream" speech on August 28th, 1963 at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In his speech, King claims that "America has faulted on [the] promissory note" that is the Declaration of Independence, because it has not lived up to the guarantee that "all men are created equal." King calls for his fellow citizens to "make real the promises of democracy." -
Milton Friedman
In 1976 Milton Friedman was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. Prior to this he was an adviser to President Nixon, and the president of the American Economic Association. Friedman wrote many books, including "Capitalism and Freedom," which some believe was the most influential book in economics in the 1960s. The book inspired many to pursue careers in economics. -
Robert Putnam - Civil Society
In 1995 Robert Putnam, a former dean at the Kennedy School at Harvard, wrote an essay titled "Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital." In it he claims proof of the decline by citing falling voter turnout, declining church attendance, fewer Boy Scout leaders, declining involvement in fraternal organizations, and that while more people are bowling in 1995 than ever, less are bowling in leagues.