Tell America’s Young: We Americans “hold these Truths to be Self-evident”!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident—

that all … are created equal (and) … endowed by their creator with certain (undeniable) rights (and) among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

“… [T]o secure these rights, Governments are instituted which derive their just powers from the consent of the governed….

“Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it; and to institute new Government—laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as, to them, shall seem most likely to (effectuate) their safety and happiness.”

It is understood and guided by good sense “that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes.” “Experience has shown that human beings are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves (correct their thinking, alter allegiances) by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.”

HOWEVER, “…. the history of the present (regime) is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having its direct object the establishment of absolute Tyranny (the people have long endured) ….”

“When a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce (the people) under absolute despotism,” … it is the right and duty of the people “to throw off such Government; and to provide new guards for their future security.”

Minor edits, excerpt from the American Declaration of Independence: A Transcription, in Congress, July 4, 1776, document on display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Thirteen Colonies Established by the English

New England Colonies 

New Hampshire Province, chartered as a British colony in 1679  Rhode Island Colony chartered as a British colony in 1663

Massachusetts Bay Province chartered as a British colony in 1692 Connecticut Colony chartered as a British colony in 1662

  Middle Colonies

New York Province, chartered as a British colony in 1686 Pennsylvania Province, a proprietary colony established in 1681

New Jersey Province, chartered as a British colony in 1702 Delaware Colony (before 1776, the Lower Counties on the Delaware River), a proprietary colony established in 1664

Southern Colonies

Maryland Province, a proprietary colony established in 1632  Carolina Province, a proprietary colony established 1663

Virginia Dominion and Colony, a British colony established in 1607  Divided Provinces of North and South Carolina, each chartered as British colonies in 1729 Georgia Province, a British colony established in 1732

Thirteen States Recognized by Articles of Confederation

Ratified on March 1, 1781

The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states, giving most governmental powers to the states operating alongside a weak central government. The need for a stronger national government became apparent and led, in 1787, to the Constitutional Convention. The Constitution of the United States replaced the Articles of Confederation on March 4, 1789. 

Delaware (ratified the Constitution on December 7, 1787)	South Carolina (ratified the Constitution on May 23, 1788)
Pennsylvania (ratified the Constitution on December 12, 1787)	New Hampshire (ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788)
New Jersey (ratified the Constitution on December 18, 1787)	Virginia (ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788)
Georgia (ratified the Constitution on January 2, 1788)	New York (ratified the Constitution on July 26, 1788)
Connecticut (ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788)	North Carolina (ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789)
Massachusetts (ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788)	Rhode Island (ratified the Constitution on May 29, 1790)
Maryland (ratified the Constitution on April 28, 1788)

Source: Longley, Robert, “The Original 13 U.S. States.” ThoughtCo, April 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/the-original-13-us-states-3322392, https://www.thoughtco.com/the-original-13-us-states-3322392

Constitution of the United States and Constitutional Convention

The Constitution of the United States was written during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by 55 delegates to a Constitutional Convention that had been called ostensibly to amend the Articles of Confederation. 

PREAMBLE

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

States and Their Dates of Admission to the Union

	State	Status Before Statehood	Date Admitted to the Union
1-	Delaware	Colony	Dec. 7, 1787
2-	Pennsylvania	Colony	Dec. 12, 1787
3-	New Jersey	Colony	Dec. 18, 1787
4-	Georgia	Colony	Jan. 2, 1788
5-	Connecticut	Colony	Jan. 9, 1788
6-	Massachusetts	Colony	Feb. 6, 1788
7-	Maryland	Colony	April 28, 1788
8-	South Carolina	Colony	May 23, 1788
9-	New Hampshire	Colony	June 21, 1788
10	Virginia	Colony	June 25, 1788
11	-New York	Colony	July 26, 1788
12	-North Carolina	Colony	Nov. 21, 1789
13	-Rhode Island	Colony	May 29, 1790
14	-Vermont	Independent republic, established January 1777	March 4, 1791
15	-Kentucky	Part of Virginia state	June 1,1792
16	-Tennessee	Territory established May 26, 1790	June 1, 1796
17	-Ohio	Territory established July 13, 1787	March 1, 1803
18	-Louisiana	Territory, established July 4, 805	April 30, 1812
19	-Indiana	Territory established July 4, 1800	Dec.11, 1816
20	-Mississippi	Territory established April 7, 1798	Dec.10, 1817
21	-Illinois	Territory established March 1, 1809	Dec.3, 1818
22	-Alabama	Territory established March 3, 1817	Dec.14, 1819
23	-Maine	Part of Massachusetts	March 15, 1820
24	-Missouri	Territory established June 4, 1812	Aug. 10, 1821
25	-Arkansas	Territory established March 2, 1819	June 15, 1836
26	-Michigan	Territory established June 30, 1805	Jan. 26, 1837
27	-Florida	Territory established March 30, 1822	March 3, 1845
28	-Texas	Independent republic, March 2, 1836	Dec.29, 1845
29	-Iowa	Territory established July 4, 1838	Dec.28, 1846
30	-Wisconsin	Territory established July 3, 1836	May 26, 1848
31	-California	Independent republic, June 14, 1846	Sept. 9, 1850
32	-Minnesota	Territory established March 3, 1849	May 11, 1858
33	-Oregon	Territory established Aug. 14, 1848	Feb. 14, 1859
34	-Kansas	Territory established May 30, 1854	Jan. 29, 1861
35	-West Virginia	Part of Virginia	June 20, 1863
36	-Nevada	Territory established March 2, 1861	October 31, 1864
37	-Nebraska	Territory established May 30, 1854	March 1, 1867
38	-Colorado	Territory established Feb. 28, 1861	Aug. 1, 1876
39	-North DakotaTT	Territory established March 2, 1861	Nov. 2, 1889
40	-South Dakota	Territory established March 2, 1861	Nov. 2, 1889
41	-Montana	Territory established May 26, 1864	Nov. 8, 1889
42	-Washington	Territory established March 2, 1853	Nov. 11, 1889
43	-Idaho	Territory established March 3, 1863	July 3, 1890
44	-Wyoming	Territory established July 25, 1868	July 10, 1890
45	-Utah	Territory established Sep. 9, 1850	Jan. 4, 1896
46	-Oklahoma	Territory established May 2, 1890	Nov. 16, 1907
47	-New Mexico	Territory established Sep. 9, 1850	Jan. 6, 1912
48	-Arizona	Territory established Feb. 24, 1863	Feb. 14, 1912
49	-Alaska	Territory established Aug. 24, 1912	Jan. 3, 1959
50	-Hawaii	Territory established Aug. 12, 1898	Aug. 21, 1959

Source: Kelly, Martin. “States and Their Admission to the Union.” ThoughtCo, June 17, 2022, thoughtco.com/states-admission-to-the-union-104903.

 

Composition Excluding quoted material and individual images

Copyright © Carolyn LaDelle Bennett

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