The Three Documents That Made America

By Sam Fink

For the first time ever, the complete founding documents of the United States of America are here in one unabridged recording—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. Sam Fink, award-winning author of the highly acclaimed illustrated book of The Declaration of Independence, provides concise introductions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
• Release date: Jan 31, 2013
• ISBN: 9781620641965

Sam Fink

Sam Fink (1916–2011) both educated and entertained adults and children with his vibrantly illustrated texts of American history. He celebrated his ninetieth birthday in 2006 with the release of The Constitution of the United States of America to great acclaim. He has also published The Declaration of Independence: The Words that Made America and The Book of Exodus.

Book preview

AMERICA

INTRODUCTION

My name is Sam Fink. I’m 87 years old and one lucky man. I was born in America. That came about because two sets of grandparents came here in 1880. Word had gotten to their villages in Russia and Poland that America was a country where freedom and opportunity reign. They arrived penniless and spoke no English. All they had were their good names and a desire to make a new life. In time they found what they had come for. They knew nothing about what made America the land of the free and the home of the brave. In time, they found out. They raised a total of thirteen children. All of them found a place in society. They discovered through public education that there were three documents that made such a life possible – the Declaration of Independence of 1776, the Constitution of the United States of America of 1787 and the Bill of Rights of 1791. We know man cannot stand erect without a backbone. Neither can a nation. These three documents are the backbone of America. As you read the ideas expressed in these documents you will begin to understand what took place when a miracle came to life. In the Declaration of Independence you will see the logic, the sharp reasoning for the desire of the colonies to break away from Great Britain. The words were from the pen of Thomas Jefferson one of the most skillful writers of his day. When 56 men signed the Declaration, Ben Franklin said we must all hang together or surely we will all hang separately. Clearly it was a revolution, and they did hang together to win their independence by defeating the British in the Revolutionary War five years later.

The second of the three documents is the Constitution of the United States of America, adopted and passed in 1787. At the heart of its brilliance was the ability of 55 delegates who met in Philadelphia to draft a set of ideas and laws under which we still live today. Their efforts were almost perfect – almost, because in a matter of two years they decided that something was missing. What? They forgot to include laws that would guarantee individual liberty. To raise the government to the highest ideals of personal freedom they wrote and passed 10 laws, all of which guaranteed each individual their personal liberties. Those 10 amendments to the Constitution became the Bill of Rights and it proved that nothing is perfect - there is always room for improvement. In fact, there are now a total of 27 amendments.

For over 225 years these three documents have been the backbone of the United States of America. We are over 290 million strong now, a diverse people living the same freedoms and opportunities my ancestors, my children and I have lived.

INTRODUCTION TO THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

In June of 1776 the second Continental Congress met in the old statehouse in Philadelphia. Delegates from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North and South Carolina and Georgia made up the assembly. They met to discuss the idea of breaking away from England to be independent and to govern themselves. England had continually turned a deaf ear to their pleas for justice and better representation. Had