Chapter 6

A New Republic: 1750–1830

Benjamin Franklin, from Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

•   A student of creative writing and anthropology compares Franklin’s Autobiography and Emerson’s “Self Reliance.”

Benjamin West, William Penn’s Treaty with the Indians (painting)

•   Painting by Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom

•   The State Museum of Pennsylvania describes how West went about creating William Penn’s Treaty with the Indians.

Paul Revere, The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught (cartoon)

•   The American Antiquarian Society exhibits its collection of Paul Revere’s prints.

•   Paul Revere’s depiction of America as an American Indian woman meeting the “Genius of Knowledge.”

Patrick Henry, Speech to the Second Virginia Convention

•   Richard Schumann performs Patrick Henry’s speech for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Thomas Paine, from The Age of Reason

•   A National Public Radio interview with Christopher Hitchens about Thomas Paine, specifically Paine’s religious beliefs and his desire for the American Revolution to be more radical and democratic.

•   “How Thomas Paine Changed the World,” created by the Thomas Paine National Historical Association, discusses the historical significance of Paine.

Abigail and John Adams, Letters

•   A full biography (43:12 minutes) of John and Abigail Adams.

•   A brief biography of Abigail Adams.

Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence

•   In “The Stylistic Artistry of the Declaration of Independence,” Professor Stephen E. Lucas explains the structure of the Declaration and close-reads key sections, identifying their intended rhetorical effect.

•   A brief summary of the circumstances surrounding the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It includes excerpt from John Adams’s letter to Timothy Pickering.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments

•   An article about the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Seneca Falls Convention at which the Declaration of Sentiments was produced.

Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur, from Letters from an American Farmer

•   An analysis of the role played by nature and wilderness in Letters from an American Farmer.

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, from The Federalist Papers

Alexander Hamilton

•   An online exhibit on Alexander Hamilton produced by the New York Historical Society. It includes a virtual tour, which allows students to hear historian Richard Brookhiser discuss “The Federalist No. 1” as well as other key documents.

•   A list of resources related to Alexander Hamilton.

•   An editorial in the Wall Street Journal called “We Worship Jefferson, But We Have Become Hamilton's America.”

•   A portrait of Hamilton, created in 1796, provided by the National Portrait Gallery.

James Madison

•   The Library of Congress provides images of its collection of Madison’s papers. The Web site includes links to essays about Madison’s life, the ciphers he employed in his writing, and his role at the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Preamble to the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights

•   Part of the The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration’s “Charters of Freedom” online exhibit, this site includes images of the original constitution, links to in-depth articles about the ratification process, and a number of other resources.

•   The “Charters of Freedom” online exhibit dedicated to the Bill of Rights, sponsored by The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

•   This Web site explores the politics and history of the Bill of Rights through summaries, commentaries, modules, and paintings.

Judith Sargent Murray, from On the Equality of the Sexes

•   An in-depth biography of Murray provided by the National Women’s History Museum.

•   A dialogue in the New York Times about what gender equality really entails.

H. L. Mencken, from In Defense of Women

•   An audio reading of Mencken’s first chapter, “The Feminine Mind”

Benjamin Banneker, Letter to Thomas Jefferson with Response from Thomas Jefferson

•   An analysis of Banneker’s challenge to Jefferson that includes a discussion of Jefferson’s views about race, a woodcut portrait of Banneker, and a list of links to other relevant historical documents.

Chief Tecumseh, Address to Governor William Henry Harrison

•   An accessible scholarly article exploring how Tecumseh’s address to Harrison is indicative of a key shift in Native American rhetoric.

Francis Scott Key, The Star-Spangled Banner

•   The Smithsonian Web site dedicated to “The Star-Spangled Banner” includes information about the song’s conception, legacy, and a number of other related topics.

•   This Smithsonian site contains information about and an image of the actual flag which inspired Key’s poem.

•   Whitney Houston sings “The Star-Spangled Banner”

Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle

•   An audio reading of “Rip Van Winkle.”

•   Faerie Tale Theatre’s production of “Rip Van Winkle”

Conversation | The Myth of George Washington

•   A National Public Radio interview with Edward Lengel discussing his book Inventing George Washington. It specifically considers Washington’s religious beliefs.

•   National Geographic’s examination of the “real” George Washington includes interviews with biographer Edward G. Lengel.

Conversation | Religious Tolerance

•   A video of Bloomberg’s speech on the Islamic center in Lower Manhattan.

•   Jill Lepore in the New Yorker discusses five books about religious tolerance which probe the question, “Did the Founders want us to be faithful to their faith?”

Conversation | The Influence of Phillis Wheatley

•   This Smithsonian blog post discusses Wheatley in the context of other African-American writers, including Ralph Ellison and Langston Hughes.