The American Colonist's Library
A
TREASURY OF PRIMARY
DOCUMENTS
Primary Source Documents Pertaining to
Early
American History
An invaluable collection of historical works which contributed to the
formation of American politics, culture, and ideals
The following is a massive collection of the
literature
and documents which were most relevant to the colonists' lives in
America.
If it isn't here, it probably is not available online anywhere.
ARRANGED IN CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE (500 B.C.-1800
A.D.)
(Use Your Browser's FIND Function to
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this Library)
Given the Supreme Court's impending decision, the ultimate historic
origins
of the national motto, "In God We Trust" and the phrase "under God" are
drawing interest. Click
Here to learn the history.
Classical Literature Having Significant Influence
Upon the American Colonists Classic
Philosophers and Poets, Most of the founding fathers in
America
were thorougly familiar with these Greco-Roman authors: e.g.,
Aristotle,
Plato, Cicero, Virgil.
The Latin Library,
(Cicero,
Livy, Horace, etc.) Ability to read these sources extemporaneously was
an entrance requirement at colonial schools such as Harvard.
The
Vulgate, The Holy Bible in Latin.
The Bible, The best
Bible online, which allows the user to immediately discover the Hebrew
and Greek words behind the English words.
The Bible, This book
was, of course, the most influential piece of literature in Colonial
America.
St. Augustine,
The church father of choice among American Puritans.
St. Augustine,
English translations of his works on predestination which greatly
influenced
the Puritans.
Major Medieval Sources Having
Significant
Influence Upon the American Colonists Ordinance
of William the Conqueror Sowing the seeds of separation of Church
and
State in the English world.
Laws
of William the Conqueror Constitutions
of Clarendon (1164) Established rights of laymen and the church in
England.
Assize of
Clarendon
(1166) Defined rights and duties of courts and people in criminal
cases.
Foundation of the principle of "due process."
Assize of Arms
(1181) Defined rights and duties of people and militias.
Magna Carta
(1215) One of the American colonists' most revered documents, the Magna
Carta established the principle that no one, not even the king or a
lawmaker,
is above the law of God.
De Legibus
Et Consuetudinibus Angliæ, Henry de Bracton (1268) This text
was the most important legal treatise written in England in the
medieval
period as it organized, systematized, and explicated the principles of
English Common Law later embraced by the American colonists.
Summa Theologica, St.
Thomas Aquinas (1265-1273) Pinnacle of Scholasticism. Covering a wide
range
of topics, by the colonial times, most educated people in the Western
world
were thoroughly familiar with this important text.
Marco
Polo's Travels [excerpt] (@1300), the description of the South
Pacific
which inspired Columbus to attempt to go to India by way of the
Atlantic.
The
First Manual of Parliamentary Procedure (@ 1350)
An
English Law Library, The sources studied by many of the lawyers who
founded the U.S.
The Declaration
of Arbroath (1320) Scotland's declaration of independence from
England.
An early model for the U.S. Declaration, this document ends with a
phrase
parallel to that of the U.S. Declaration: "and to Him as the Supreme
King
and Judge we commit the maintenance of our cause, casting our cares
upon
Him and firmly trusting that He will inspire us with courage and bring
our enemies to nought."
Fifteenth and Sixteenth Century
Sources
Profoundly Impacting the History of America Malleus
Maleficarum, Directions for witch hunting (1486)
Journal,
Christopher Columbus, (1492). This document begins with Columbus'
statement
that the reason why Isabella sponsored his voyage was for the sake of
going
to India to convert Khan to Roman Catholicism.
Epistola
De Insulis Nuper Inventis, Christopher Columbus (1493)
Letter
to the King and Queen of Spain, Christopher Columbus (1494)
Prince Henry
VII's Commission to John Cabot (1497) Cabot was the first
Englishman
to discover New England.
The Prince,
Machiavelli (1513) Practical advice on governance and statecraft,
with
thoughts on the kinds of problems any government must be able to solve
to endure.
Works
of Martin Luther, The father of the Protestant Reformation, his
principles
were a major part of the American colonists' worldview.
On
Secular Authority, Luther (1523). This document started the
political
discussion about religious liberty which led to the American
Revolution.
In this document Luther sets forth the idea of "two kingdoms," one is
political
and the other is spiritual, and the two ought be separate. President
James
Madison commended this "due distinction, to which the genius and
courage
of Luther led the way, between what is due to Caesar and what is due to
God." (Madison
to F.L. Schaeffer, December 3, 1821).
The
Bondage of the Will, Luther (1524). Luther claimed that this
particular
document was the cornerstone of the Protestant Reformation; it argues
the
idea of predestination and God's sovereignty, two principles which were
paramount to many of the American colonists.
The
Act of Supremacy, Henry VIII (1534). By this act, the English
Reformation
began, and the pope was stripped of his jurisdiction over the English
Church.
This allowed Lutheran principles to make their way into the English
church,
and led to the birth of Puritanism.
Institutes
of the Christian Religion, John Calvin (1540). Calvin's magnum
opus.
The most celebrated American historian, George Bancroft, called Calvin
"the father of America," and added: "He who will not honor the memory
and
respect the influence of Calvin knows but little of the origin of
American
liberty." To John Calvin and the Genevan theologians, President John
Adams
credited a great deal of the impetus for religious liberty (Adams,
WORKS,
VI:313). This document includes a justification for rebellion to
tyrants
by subordinate government officials; this particular justification was
at the root of the Dutch, English, and American Revolutions.
Coronado's
Report to Mendoza (1540)
Coronado
to the King of Spain (1541)
The
Journey of Alvar Nuñez Cabeza De Vaca (1542)
Brief
Account of the Devastation of the Indies, Bartolome de la Casas
(1542)
On
the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies, Copernicus (1543). This
document
touched off the Scientific Revolution as it repudiated the Geocentric
theory
and asserted a Heliocentric theory of the solar system.
The Council
of Trent (1545) The Roman Catholic responses to the Protestant
Reformation.
Spiritual
Exercises, Ignatius Loyola (1548). Rules for the Jesuits written by
the founder of the Jesuit Order.
The
Magdeburg Bekenntnis or Magdeburg Confession (1550). A
document
written by followers of Luther stating a theological justification for
resisting tyranny.
The
Genevan Book of Order (1556) The Form of Prayers and Ministration
of
the Sacraments, etc. Used in the English Congregation at Geneva
A Short Treatise
on Political Power, John Ponet, D.D. (1556) President John Adams credited
this Calvinist document as being at the root of the theory of
government
adopted by the the Americans. According to Adams, Ponet's work
contained
"all the essential principles of liberty, which were afterward dilated
on by Sidney and Locke" including the idea of a three-branched
government.
(Adams, Works, vol. 6, pg. 4). Published in Strassbourg in
1556,
it is the first work out of the Reformation to advocate active
resistance
to tyrannical magistrates, after the Magdeburg Bekenntnis (the
Magdeburg
Confession).
How Superior
Powers Ought to Be Obeyed by Their Subjects, Christopher Goodman
(1558).
Justifying a Christian's right to resist a tyrannical ruler. Goodman
indicated
that he had presented the thesis of this book to John Calvin, and
Calvin
endorsed it.
The First
Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, John
Knox (1558). A vigorous critique of the tyranny of "Bloody Mary's"
reign
in England, and a call to resist. A large portion of the Americans who
fought in the American Revolution were adherents to Knox's doctrines as
set forth in this document.
Act of
Supremacy, Elizabeth I (1559). After the brief and bloody reign of
her sister,
Mary
I, who executed numerous Protestants for the cause of Roman
Catholicism,
this document states Elizabeth's intention to reaffirm the English
Church's
independence from Rome. Her beloved status among her subjects caused
the
first settlers of America to name their colony "Virginia" in honor of
this
virgin queen.
Complete Works
of Elizabeth I, Including her letters and her poems.
Writings
and Speeches of Elizabeth I Foxe's Book of Martyrs
(1563). Detailing the bloody persecutions of Puritans during the reign
of Mary I, this book was second only to the Bible in its popularity in
the American colonies.
Supralapsarian
Calvinism, Theodore Beza (1570) Laying out the principle that God
willed
and predestined the fall of Adam and the existence of sin and evil.
This
assertion became the most controversial philosophical conflict among
American
colonists up through the 19th century.
The
Scholemaster
(1570) Philosophy of Education among English people, particularly with
respect to the importance of learning Latin.
The
Thirty-Nine
Articles of Religion (1571) The official statement of faith of the
Church of England; this document formally adopts the Calvinistic
doctrine
of predestination and repudiates common notion of "free will."
Treasons
Act (1571) Forbidding criticism of Queen Elizabeth.
The St.
Bartholomew's
Day Massacre (1572)
The Right of
Magistrates
Over Their Subjects, Theodore Beza (1574). Expanding upon Calvin's
political resistance theory set forth in the final chapters of his
Institutes,
this work by Calvin's successor in Geneva, Theodore Beza, was published
in response to the growing tensions between Protestant and Catholic in
France, which culminated in the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre in 1572.
This
text suggests that it is the right of a Christian to revolt against a
tyrannical
King: a principle central to the American colonists' cause.
Of the Tabaco
and of His Greate Vertues, Nicholas Monardes (1577)
The Works of
Sir Walter Raleigh, Sponsor of the First Settlements in Virginia
De Jure Regni
apud Scotos, George Buchanan (1579) Considered the most important
piece
of political writing in the 16th century as it articulated the doctrine
of "the rule of law."
Vindiciae
Contra Tyrannos, or, A Vindication Against Tyrants (1579). This
Calvinist
document is one of the first to set forth the theory of "social
contract"
upon which the United States was founded. The idea was disseminated
through
the English Calvinists to the pen of John Locke, and eventually into
the
Declaration of Independence. John Adams reported the relevance of this
document to the American struggle.
The Dutch
Declaration of Independence (1581); This Calvinistic document
served
as a model for the U.S. Declaration of Independence. In his
Autobiography,
Jefferson indicated that the "Dutch Revolution" gave evidence and
confidence
to the Second Continental Congress that the American Revolution could
likewise
commence and succeed. Recent
scholarship
has has suggested that Jefferson may have consciously drawn on this
document.
John Adams said that the Dutch charters had "been particularly studied,
admired, and imitated in every State" in America, and he stated that
"the
analogy between the means by which the two republics [Holland and
U.S.A.]
arrived at independency... will infallibly draw them together."
A
Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia, Thomas
Hariot.
Discourse
of Western Planting, Richard Hakluyt, (1584)
First
Voyage To Virginia, Arthur Barlowe (1584)
Adam
Winthrop's
Commonplace Book (1586) Early diary of a Puritan whose family
eventually
settled in America.
The Colony
of Roanoke, Ralph Lane (1586). The first English attempt at
colonizing
the New World
Return
To Roanoake, John White (1590) Relating the surprise of the loss of
the Roanoake colony and the few clues left regarding their fate.
An Act
Against
Papists (1593) Parliament's tough words against those who would
attempt
to depose Elizabeth for her Protestantism.
Works of Richard
Hooker (1593) Anglican political commentator and major influence
upon
John Locke.
Journey
of Coronado (1596)
A Trew
Law of Free Monarchs, James I Stuart (1598). Championed the
doctrine
of "Divine Right of Kings." This oppressive political theory
contributed
to the exodus of the Puritans to America in 1630, and resistance to it
was the ultimate goal of three revolutions: 1) the Puritan Revolution
of
the 1640s, 2) the Glorious Revolution, and 3) the American Revolution.
The
Dutie of A King, Sir Walter Raleigh (1599) Promoting the doctrine
of
"Divine Right of Kings."
The
Geneva Bible, 1599 update of the translation made by the Puritans
in
Geneva 1560. This was the Bible of choice in New England. These are the
footnotes which provide a Calvinistic theological interpretation of the
Bible
The
Stamp Act, 1765 Precipitated the "Stamp Act Crisis" which fomented
rebellion throughout the colonies
The
Declaratory Act, 1766 The English Parliament repealed the Stamp
Act,
but couldn't leave well enough alone, and adopted this statement of
parliamentary
supremacy over the British colonies.
A
Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity (1725), A little known
theological
work in which Franklin made a metaphysical argument for predestination
and against free-will. Franklin concluded that all things are
ultimately
good, because God is in total control and God is good.
George
Washington's
Adopted Daughter Discusses Washington's Religious Character Nelly
Custis
lived with the Washingtons at Mt. Vernon for twenty years (1779 until
1799).
As a daily observer of his life, she was qualified perhaps more than
any
other to assess George Washington's religion (even perhaps more than
George
himself, who was reluctant to speak about his own religious affections).
Letter
to Evans, June 8, 1819 (The founding's opposition to slavery)
Letter
to H. Niles, February 13, 1818 (On the Revolution as a religious
revolution
of ideas and principles)
Letter
to Timothy Pickering, August 6, 1822. Detailing Adams' recollection
of the production of the Declaration of Independence. Adams states here
that there is not an idea in the Declaration which had not been
hackneyed
in Congress for two years before. According to Adams, the substance of
the Declaration is contained in the in the Declaration
of Colonial Rights of the Continental Congress, and the essence of
it is contained in The
Rights of the Colonists, written before the first Congress met, by
Samuel Adams.
The
Papers
of John Adams, This is the best source of material written by John
Adams that is available on the web.
Debates
in
the Federal
Convention of 1787, James Madison. These are the proceedings of the
Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, an essential guide to
interpreting
the intent of the Framers.
The
Age of Reason - Part 1 Paine demonstrates the absurdity of a word
of
God existing in print. As a Deist, Paine believed that the true word of
God is nature.
The
Age of Reason - Part 2 Paine demonstrates that neither the Old
Testament
nor the New Testament can be the Word of God.
Answer
to Bishop LLandaff Publication of The Age of Reason
generated
a storm of controversy. One of Paine's critics was Bishop Llandaff, who
published a detailed rebuttal to The Age of Reason. This is Paine's
reply
to that rebuttal.
Letters
Concerning "The Age of Reason" (1797-1803) Thomas Paine's
correspondence
concerning The Age of Reason . Includes correspondence with
Samuel
Adams.
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