Milestone Documents in American History provides students
and educators with a comprehensive, single source for
the most important documents in the shaping of American
society from the Revolution to the twenty-first century. These
133 full-text documents, which touch on politics, economics,
science, race relations, gender equality, foreign policy, and religious
liberty, allow students to fully explore their meaning and
instructors to develop their own document-based projects.
We began by looking at the central documents in the
National Archives. To those we added materials that were
not generated by the national government, such as the
writings of private citizens, papers connected to state governments,
and speeches by politicians running for office.
We supplemented this list with items reflecting the history
of minority communities—particularly Native Americans,
African Americans, and women—to give a more inclusive
view of our nation’s history.
Viewed in isolation, primary documents can be confusing
and difficult to navigate. Older documents, in particular—
from the founding period through the nineteenth century—
often are written in archaic language using words with
unusual meanings. The complex historical context in which
these documents were formed may be unfamiliar to the
younger reader. Milestone Documents in American History responds to these challenges with a variety of tools and materials. An introductory overview briefly defines each document’s
importance, while a section on context details its historical
background. A timeline describes key events surrounding
the writing of the document, and a section about the
author offers a biographical profile of the writer or writers.
Most important is the in-depth expert analysis of each document
text, which is followed by sections describing the document’s
intended audience along with its historical impact and
influence. A section of essential quotes singles out the document’s
key passages and, in some cases, highlights writings
about the document. Next is an annotated listing of related
primary documents and a bibliography to aid research. Questions
for further study act as guideposts for study, challenging
the student to look more closely at the issues surrounding
each document. Rounding out the presentation is a glossary
of important or unusual terms found in the document, followed
by the full text of the document itself.
These diverse documents will elicit a variety of responses
from the reader. The Declaration of Independence, Abraham
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural
Address, and Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”
Speech all underscore the power of language to convey
ideas, stir emotions, and stimulate people to action. Reading
these full-text documents will give students new insights into
the power and beauty of language. Other documents—such
as Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney’s majority opinion
in Dred Scott v. Sandford, the Chinese Exclusion Act, or
the Black Code of Mississippi passed after the Civil War—
may trouble students as they contemplate the dark events of
our history that, seen in retrospect, are shameful. Statutes
such as the Act to Prohibit the Importation of Slaves, the
Homestead Act, or the Sherman Antitrust Act will doubtless
force students to read in a new way, as they start to sort out
the complexities of lawmaking and begin to realize how difficult
it is to set out on paper the rules for governing a society
and developing social and economic policy. Other documents
help the student grasp that the development of a
nation is not always about politics or economics. Sometimes
it is about understanding the world around us. Thomas Jefferson’s
Message to Congress about the Lewis and Clark
Expedition and Thomas Edison’s Patent Application for the
Incandescent Light Bulb remind students that science and
technology have played a key role in America’s development.
Many of the documents in this collection proclaim the
hope of America—what Americans have wanted their nation
to achieve. George Washington’s Farewell Address and
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s First Inaugural Address are prime
examples of such documents. So, too, in another context,
are several Supreme Court decisions, such as Brown v.
Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and the important
but less well-known case of Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co.
v. Sawyer. Other documents are eloquent pleas for social or
economic change, among them, William Lloyd Garrison’s
First Liberator Editorial, the Seneca Falls Convention Declaration
of Sentiments, Frederick Douglass’s “Fourth of
July” Speech, William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold”
Speech, and César Chávez’s Commonwealth Address.
Finally, the relevance and usefulness of historical inquiry
are brought into focus with several documents that highlight
momentous events and contentious issues of the twenty-first century: George W. Bush’s Address to the Nation on
September 11, 2001; the Bybee Torture Memo; and the
Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas.
As with any publication of this nature, readers may
quibble with our decision about which documents to
include and which to leave out. Undoubtedly, there are
numerous other primary sources that could be used to further
explore the nation’s past. We hope to offer a fundamental
starting point—rather than a finish line—for historical
analysis using primary source documents. We urge
educators and students alike to continue their exploration
with other primary sources not covered in this set.
With this collection we inaugurate a fresh approach to
comprehending our nation’s history. Understanding these historical
documents and their context will prepare students to
better appreciate the complexities of the twenty-first century.
Paul Finkelman
President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law
and Public Policy
Albany Law School
Albany, New York
|