U.S. Constitution

First Amendment

Bill of Rights During the summer of 1787, a group of politicians, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, gathered in Philadelphia to draft a new U.S. Constitution. Antifederalists, led by the first governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry, opposed the ratification of the Constitution. They felt the new constitution gave the federal government too much power […]

The 26th Amendment

The 26th Amendment: “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote” During World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the minimum age for the military draft age to 18, at a time when the minimum voting age (as determined by the individual states) had historically been 21. “Old enough to fight, old enough to […]

Freedom of the Press

Origins Of Free Press Before the thirteen colonies declared independence from Great Britain, the British government attempted to censor the American media by prohibiting newspapers from publishing unfavorable information and opinions. One of the first court cases involving freedom of the press in America took place in 1734. British governor William Cosby brought a libel […]

Freedom of Speech

What is free speech? How does the freedom of speech factor in to the U.S. Constitution? What are limitations and protections of free speech in the U.S.?

Freedom of Religion in the U.S.

What is the history of the freedom of religion as outlined in the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution? How is this freedom enforced? How does religious policy manifest in the real world?

This Day in History Video: What Happened on July 28

The Native American Government That Helped Inspire the US Constitution

The constitutional framers may have viewed Indigenous people of the Iroquois Confederacy as inferior, but that didn’t stop them from admiring their federalist principles.

5 Historic Supreme Court Rulings Based on the 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment’s guarantee to “due process” provided a basis for these five Supreme Court rulings that have impacted Americans’ lives.

8 Things You Should Know About the Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, became law on December 15, 1791.