Part 2: U.S. History & American History

Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. 

Fast Facts

• It took Thomas Jefferson 17 days to write the Declaration of Independence.
• On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence from Great Britain.
• On July 4, 1776, Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence, marking July 4 as Independence Day.

U.S. Constitution

The foundation of the American Government, its purpose, form, and structure, are in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitutional Convention adopted the Constitution on September 17, 1787.  

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. It guarantees greater constitutional protection for individual liberties and lists specific prohibitions on government power. There are 27 Constitutional Amendments in all. The 27th Amendment, which was originally proposed in 1789, was not ratified until 1992.