Home
Units of New Hampshire History
Unit 6: Establishing Government
Find It! Establishing Government

Find It! Establishing Government

Listen

All the resources that appear in this unit are gathered here for you—the photographs, maps, objects, audiovisuals, documents, videos, biographies, and vocabulary words. Click on the image below to see a larger view of each resource with more information about each one. On some of the resources you can even zoom in and get a closer look. So go ahead, dive in, and explore. Before you know it, you’ll be thinking like a historian.

Find It! Scavenger Hunt

Can you help Mason find these items on the page and answer the questions?

Scavenger Hunt

Click On An Icon To Find A Resource!

Biographies in this Unit:

A colored painting of a white man with white long hair tied behind his head with a black ribbon, facing to the right of the viewer. He wears a white necktie and shirt and a brown buttoned jacket.

Listen

Biography

John Langdon

1741–1819

Caption:

John Langdon was an American Founding Father and an important political leader from New Hampshire. He was an early supporter of independence from Great Britain. He served in the Continental Congress and led troops at an important American victory, the Battle of Saratoga. After the American Revolution, he was the second person to be elected governor of New Hampshire , which was then called “president.” Langdon was one of New Hampshire’s delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. He supported a strong central government and campaigned in favor of ratification in New Hampshire. His efforts helped New Hampshire become the ninth and deciding state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. He was one of New Hampshire’s first U.S. senators, serving from 1789 to 1801. Later he was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives and again as New Hampshire’s governor.

Image Credit: Portrait by Asa W. Twitchell after an original by John Trumbull, circa 1890, New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white drawing of a white man looking off to the left. He wears a coat and vest that have many buttons on them, and a tri-cornered hat wth a large bow placed at its front corner. The title of the drawing, located along its bottom border, reads: "LE MAJOR GENERAL SULLIVAN." Beneath the title are several words in French.

Listen

Biography

John Sullivan

1740–1795

Caption:

John Sullivan was a well-known general from New Hampshire during the American Revolution. After America won its independence, Sullivan became an important political figure in New Hampshire. In fact, he helped convince the people of New Hampshire to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1788. Sullivan was born in Somersworth and became a lawyer when he was a young man. When Americans grew unhappy with being ruled by Great Britain, Sullivan supported the patriots. He even led the raid on Fort William and Mary in 1774, when patriots took control of a British fort in Portsmouth. When America and Britain began fighting the American Revolution, Sullivan became a general in the American army. After the American Revolution was over, he became one of New Hampshire’s first governors. When the people of New Hampshire were deciding whether or not to support the new U.S. Constitution, Sullivan used all his influence to convince them that the Constitution created a good system of government for the new country.

Image Credit: Le Major Général Sullivan (1775). Prints, Drawings and Watercolors from the Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.

A pencil drawing of a man with long curly hair, looking to the right. He wears a shirt with a high neck, a vest with small buttons, and a collared coat with large buttons.

Listen

Biography

Josiah Bartlett

1728–1795

Caption:

Josiah Bartlett was one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence from New Hampshire. He was a doctor who lived in Kingston. Bartlett was a patriot and held secret meetings with other patriots in his attic. His house was even burned down once by people who opposed the patriots. He was on the N.H. Committee of Correspondence and was chosen to be in the Continental Congress. He was the second person to sign the Declaration of Independence. After the war, Bartlett continued to work as a doctor and even served as governor of New Hampshire at one point.

Image Credit: Portrait by John Trumbull, 1790, New Hampshire Historical Society

A solid black image of a moose, with white capital letters inside reading "SORRY, NO PICTURE AVAILABLE."

Listen

Biography

Meshech Weare

1713–1786

Caption:

Meshech Weare was New Hampshire’s first governor. He is also sometimes called the “father of New Hampshire” because he played such an important role in creating the state government. When New Hampshire was an English colony, he represented the town of Hampton Falls in the colonial assembly. He supported American independence from the British Empire and helped write the N.H. Constitution of 1776 that declared New Hampshire’s independence from Great Britain. During the American Revolution, Weare was chief justice of New Hampshire’s highest court and the head of the Committee of Safety, which governed the state during the war. After the N.H. Constitution of 1784 was ratified, Weare was elected the first governor, which was then called “president.” The town of Weare is named after him.

Image Credit: Meshech Weare is the only N.H. governor who never had a portrait painted of him.

A colored painting of a white man with brown hair, a white ruffled necktie and shirt, and a black coat, facing to the right of the viewer.

Listen

Biography

Nicholas Gilman

1755–1814

Caption:

Nicholas Gilman was one of New Hampshire’s delegates to the Constitutional Convention and a signer of the U.S. Constitution. He came from a prominent family in Exeter. He and his father were both early supporters of American independence from Great Britain. Gilman fought in the American Revolution and also served as New Hampshire’s treasurer during the war. In 1787, he was chosen to represent New Hampshire at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. He supported a strong central government and helped convince New Hampshire’s state convention to support the Constitution. In the first federal elections, Gilman was elected to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. House of Representatives. He served four terms and was later elected to the U.S. Senate.

Head and shoulders portrait of a man with long light hair tied at the neck with a black ribbon, wearing a white collar, light vest with two buttons, and dark jacket. He faces right with a sepia colored background, in an oval frame decorated with scollops and tassels. The frame is surrounded by sprays of flowers and branches with leaves with four decorative objects, one at each quarter. "WILLIAM WHIPPLE." is printed beneath the portrait. Beneath this is a paper adhered to the print, "Wm. Whipple" in script in brown ink.

Listen

Biography

William Whipple

1730–1785

Caption:

William Whipple was one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence from New Hampshire. His father was a sea captain, and as a young man, Whipple went to sea as well, sailing back and forth between the Caribbean and New England, shipping wood, rum, and slaves. Later, he and his brother were successful merchants in Portsmouth. Whipple supported the patriots and was in the Continental Congress. He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was also a general in the New Hampshire militia and commanded troops at an important Revolutionary War battle, the Battle of Saratoga. After the war, he freed his slaves, including Prince Whipple. He also served in the New Hampshire legislature and on the Supreme Court of New Hampshire.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Documents in this Unit:

Listen

Document

Declaration of Independence

Thomas Jefferson

Caption:

Americans finally decided to break away from Great Britain in the summer of 1776. The Continental Congress, a group of leaders representing each of the 13 colonies, asked Thomas Jefferson to write a statement telling the king of Great Britain that they were no longer part of his empire. This became known as the Declaration of Independence. It explains the reasons why the colonists wanted their freedom and the rights they were fighting for.

Image Credit: Engraving courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration

Listen

Document

New Hampshire Constitution of 1776

1776

New Hampshire Provincial Congress

Caption:

After war broke out between England and the American colonies, New Hampshire was the first of the 13 colonies to establish an independent government. Their governor, John Wentworth, had left the colony because the people did not support him. First the people elected a new government, called the Provincial Congress. The Provincial Congress decided to write down the rules of their new government in a document called a constitution. This was the first written constitution, not just in the American colonies, but in the whole world! It was intended to be temporary until the Revolutionary War ended. All of this happened six months before the Declaration of Independence was written!

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Proclamation Announcing the Peace Treaty with Great Britain

Listen

Document

Proclamation Announcing the Peace Treaty with Great Britain

1783

Elias Boudinot

Caption:

Fighting between American and British soldiers ended in 1781, but it took two more years before the war officially ended. This proclamation was printed and sent all around New Hampshire to let everyone know that Congress had signed a treaty with Great Britain and the two countries were now at peace.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Listen

Document

Proclamation of Rebellion

1782

Caption:

As the American Revolution was ending, New Hampshire towns along the Connecticut River felt they had more in common with towns in Vermont than with the state government in Exeter. They also felt that they didn't have enough representation in the legislature. The number of representatives was based on population. So towns like Portsmouth had a lot more representatives in the legislature than the smaller towns in the western part of the state. These western towns also felt that the state capital should be more centrally located instead of on the seacoast, where Exeter was. Some western towns tried to join Vermont and others tried to form their own independent state. They even stopped paying taxes to the New Hampshire government. So the state government in Exeter declared that these towns were in rebellion. Finally George Washington helped convince everyone to resolve the crisis, and the western towns stayed part of New Hampshire.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Listen

Document

U.S. Bill of Rights

1791

Caption:

When the U.S. Constitution was written, many Americans were worried that some of their most important rights, such as freedom of speech, were not listed in the document. In 1791, two years after the Constitution went into effect, Americans amended the Constitution by adding a list of rights that they believed were the most important for their liberty and freedom. This list, which contains 10 amendments to the Constitution, became known as the Bill of Rights.

Image Credit: National Archives and Records Administration

Explainer Videos and Virtual Field Trips in this Unit:

Listen

Video

Mason Explains: First Amendment Rights

2022

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Mason Explains: The Constitutional Convention

Listen

Video

Mason Explains: The Constitutional Convention

2021

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Listen

Video

Mason Explains: The Preamble

2022

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Maps & Charts in this Unit:

A colored chart showing three vertical columns, separated by yellow lines. Each column contains a gray building - each different in size and design - a title, a purple arrow facing down, and a short caption. The text in those columns includes, from left to right: "Legislative/makes/the/laws," "Executive/carries out/the/laws," and "Judicial/evaluates/the/laws." The title of the entire chart, located along the upper border, reads "THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT."

Listen

Maps & Charts

Branches of Government

Caption:

State governments and the national government are divided into three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Each branch has specific powers and responsibilities that the other branches do not have. Each branch can also check the other branches, which keeps any one branch from becoming too powerful. All three branches are supposed to work for the common good of the people.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white map is shown titled "The State of New Hampshire Compiled chiefly from Actual Surveys. 1799." The paper is frayed around the edges, and the map is framed by a border of longitude and latitude markings. "Part of Vermont," "Part of Massachusets," "Quebec," and "Maine" are marked around the details of New Hampshire state. Rivers, lakes, mountains, and towns are marked. Counties are outlined and labeled.

Listen

Maps & Charts

Map of New Hampshire, 1799

1799

Caption:

Map of New Hampshire dated 1799. The map shows mountains, waterways, towns, and cities.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored map of a large, vertical piece of land, colored in dark blue and separated into smaller pieces of land by white lines, which is bordered by a body of water, colored in light blue. All of the smaller pieces of land are labeled with a name and a date, placed inside a white circle with a red outline. On the left side of the map, those labels include, from top to bottom "NEW HAMPSHIRE/June 21, 1788," "NEW YORK/July 26, 1788," "PENNSYLVANIA/December 12, 1787," "VIRGINIA/June 25, 1788," "NORTH CAROLINA/November 21, 1789," and "GEORGIA/January 2, 1788." On the right side of the map, those labels include, from top to bottom: "MASSACHUSETTS/February 6, 1788," "RHODE ISLAND/May 29, 1790," "CONNECTICUT/January 9, 1788," "NEW JERSEY/December 18, 1787," DELAWARE/December 7, 1787," "MARYLAND/April 28, 1788," and "SOUTH CAROLINA/May 23, 1788."

Listen

Maps & Charts

Ratification of the U.S. Constitution

1787–1789

Caption:

This map shows when each of the 13 original states ratified the U.S. Constitution.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Photographs & Prints in this Unit:

A black and white drawing of a large ship with three tall masts being carried through a crowd of people on a horse-drawn float. The float is labeled "HAMILTON." Another horse-drawn float, being led by a man in a long coat and a tri-corned hat, is seen emerging from the bottom left-hand corner.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Adoption of the Federal Constitution

1788

Illustration by Alfred Fredericks, 1877

Caption:

This illustration shows a big parade held in New York City to celebrate the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. The ship is called "Hamilton" after Alexander Hamilton, a founding father who attended the Constitutional Convention as a delegate from New York and helped persuade people to support the Constitution.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

A black and white drawing of five men gathered around a long table, looking at a large document. They all wear collared shirts and vests, long coats, and have their long hair pulled back and tied up with a ribbon behind their head. Two lines of text, typed in red ink, border the drawing. The top line of text reads "Drafting the Articles of Confederation" and the bottom line reads "York Town, Pennsylvania 1777 13c USA."

Listen

Photograph/Print

Articles of Confederation

1781

Caption:

The Articles of Confederation was America's first national government. It was a weak national government, because most Americans at that time wanted most government to come from the states. The Articles of Confederation was written in 1777 during the Revolutionary War. At that time, the Continental Congress was meeting in York Town, Pennsylvania. It was ratified in 1781 and replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789.

Image Credit: National Postal Museum

A black and white drawing of a man standing behind a podium, looking at three standing children. The man holds a stick in his hand and wears a long coat with a wide collar, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. There are several other children in the room, all sitting on long benches. The male children wear long coats and shirts with wide collars, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes as well, and the female children wear long dresses and bonnets. Two of the standing children are dressed differently than the rest of the children. One wears an ankle-length dress with short sleeves and one wears a short-sleeved shirt and full-length pants.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Colonial New England School

From American History, First Book (1492–1763) by Arthur C. Perry and Gertrude Price (New York: American Book Company, 1913)

Caption:

New Hampshire communities established schools for children starting in the 1640s. It was important to the settlers that children learn to read, write, and do simple math. Children did not attend school every day because they usually had a lot of chores to do on the farms.

A black and white drawing of a room full of seated and standing men in collared shirts and vests, long coats, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. All of the men look at the man standing on a raised platform, with his right arm raised.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Convention at Philadelphia

01/01/1787

Image by Alfred Kappes, engraved by Frederick Juengling, 1882

Caption:

Image Credit: Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

A colored painting of a room full of seated and standing white men in different colored long coats, vests, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. All of the men look at a group of five men standing in front of a small table that has piles of documents on it.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Declaration of Independence

1776

Painting by John Trumbull, 1826

Caption:

This painting shows the moment when the draft of the Declaration of Independence was presented to the Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776. This document stated the ideas that the American colonists were fighting for in their war for independence from Great Britain. Less than a week later, it was officially adopted, on July 4, 1776. That is why July 4 is celebrated as Independence Day. This very large painting hangs in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A colored painting of a standing white man with white hair, wearing a blue coat with yellow shoulders, a white shirt and vest, white knee-length pants, and tall white boots. He also wears a long white cape draped over one shoulder.

Listen

Photograph/Print

George Washington

1787

From The Constitution of the United States, painting by Barry Faulkner, 1934–1936

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention. George Washington, who had led American troops to victory in the American Revolution, was chosen to be the leader of the convention. He kept the convention running smoothly and calmly. He also convinced everyone at the convention to work together and compromise to write a successful constitution.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white drawing of a snake that has been cut up into several pieces. The cut parts of the snake are labeled with capitalized letters, which read, from left to right: "S.C./N.C./V./M./R./N.J./N.Y./N.E." The title of the drawing, located along the bottom border of the drawing, reads: "JOIN, or, DIE."

Listen

Photograph/Print

Join or Die

1754

Benjamin Franklin

Caption:

This was the first political cartoon in America, and it was printed in newspapers from the 1750s to the 1770s to encourage colonists to join together to be stronger. Most people think that Benjamin Franklin created it, and it first appeared in his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette, in 1754. The pieces of the snake represent different colonies; SC (South Carolina), NC (North Carolina), V (Virginia), M (Maryland), P (Pennsylvania,) NJ (New Jersey), NY (New York) and NE (New England, or Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire). Only Georgia and Delaware are missing.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress

A colored painting of a man in a black and white-spotted fur cape, with a gold-colored coat and pair of pants. His left hand rests on his hip and his right hand rests on his cape, which drapes over a raised platform. He wears a white wig on his head, and looks of to the left.

Listen

Photograph/Print

King George III

circa 1761–1762

Allan Ramsay

Caption:

George III was born in 1738 and became the king of Great Britain in 1760, at a time when Britain had one of the largest empires in the world. It was also the time when American colonists began to grow angry over the way that Britain ruled them. Eventually, the Americans broke away from Britain and fought a war with King George III to become their own country. This portrait of George III shows him in his coronation robes. He died in 1820, and was one of the longest-ruling kings of Britain.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London, under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

A black and white drawing of a group of nine pillars standing in a row, all connected by curved dotted lines. The pillars are labeled, from left to right: "DEL.," "PEN.," "NJER.," "GEOR.," "CON.," " MASSA," MARY.," " S. CARO," and "N. HAMP." A tenth pillar, labeled "VIRG." is pulled away from the group by a hand descending from a collection of clouds gathering in the drawing's middle right corner. The title of the drawing, located centered on the drawing's left side, reads "United we stand - Divided we fall."

Listen

Photograph/Print

New Hampshire Becomes the Ninth State

1788

Engraving printed in the New Hampshire Gazette

Caption:

This illustration appeared in newspapers all over the United States in June 1788, showing how New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. After New Hampshire's vote, the Constitution could become the law of the land.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A colored drawing of a single-masted ship propped up by wooden stilts on a sandy piece of land, next to a body of water. A raised American flag flies from the ship's back. Several people stand around the ship on the sand. In the background, the sun is seen rising from the body of water. The words "NEW HAMPSHIRE" are typed in black text on a red scrolled ribbon. Underneath the ribbon are the words "NEW HAMPSHIRE" printed again, but in a thinner font than the ribbon text.

Listen

Photograph/Print

New Hampshire Coat of Arms

Engraving by Henry Mitchell in State Arms of the Union, Boston: Louis Prang and Company, 1876

Caption:

A coat of arms is a visual symbol used to identify an individual, family, state, or organization. New Hampshire's coat of arms is similar to its state seal, but not quite the same. They both have a ship, because Portsmouth has always been an important shipbuilding center. They both show a harbor and a rising sun. The coat of arms also shows people.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons user Godot13

A black and white drawing of a two-storied building with a tall steeple. The title of the drawing, located centered along the bottom border, reads "THE OLD MEETING HOUSE."

Listen

Photograph/Print

Old North Meeting House, Concord

From Birth of the Federal Constitution: A History of the New Hampshire Convention by Joseph B. Walker (Boston: Cupples and Hurd, 1888)

Caption:

The N.H. Constitution was ratified in 1783, and went into effect in 1784. The new legislature began meeting in June of 1784. They met at the North Meeting House in Concord, NH. A few years later, in 1788, New Hampshire's federal constitutional convention met in the same building to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Image Credit: HathiTrust Digital Library

A colored painting of a group of Black men, women, and children dressed in white clothing working in a field surrounded by palm trees. The field is covered in green bushes with white and yellow blossoms. Several of the people place the white blossoms into sacks or woven baskets. There are two lines of text, typed in black text on white paper, that border the painting. The top line of text reads "PROGRESS OF COTTON No. 1" and the bottom line reads "COTTON PLANTATION."

Listen

Photograph/Print

Plantation Slavery

1840

Lithograph after J. R. Barfoot

Caption:

Slavery was a labor system in America where Black people were taken from Africa to this country and forced to work for whites. Enslaved people had no freedom and could not leave. When they had children, the children were enslaved too. This image shows plantation slavery, where enslaved people had to work in the fields to plant and harvest a cash crop, like cotton. Slavery in the United States was not outlawed until 1865, after the Civil War, when the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Wellcome Collection

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States

A colored painting of a room full of seated and standing white men in collared shirts and vests, long coats, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. Several of the men have an arm raised in the air. All of the men look at the man standing on a raised platform, who is dressed in all black.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States

1787

Painting by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention. In this painting, which is displayed in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., George Washington is shown on the right side, standing on the stage. Washington had been elected the leader of the convention.

Image Credit: Architect of the Capitol

A colored painting of a room full of seated white men in different colored long coats, vests, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. All of the men look at the man seated on a raised platform, who is dressed in all black.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Signing of the Constitution

1787

Painting by Thomas P. Rossiter, circa 1860–1870

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention. Delegates from every state except Rhode Island attended. The convention lasted almost four months. It took a long time for the delegates to come to an agreement on how the new U.S. government should work. Finally, on September 17, 1787, the Constitution was signed. It then had to go to the states to be ratified, or made legal by the states signing it too. This painting shows the delegates to the convention signing the Constitution. The painting is on display at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

A colored painting of a group of white men standing on a set of stairs, looking at a man with white hair, dressed in a blue coat, white cloack, and white knee-length pants with tall white boots. He stands in the center of the painting. The other men in the painting all wear different colored coats or capes, vests, knee-length pants, and black shoes, and carry either canes or documents.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The Constitution of the United States

1787

Painting by Barry Faulkner, 1934–1936

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention. This painting of the convention was made by a New Hampshire artist in the 1930s as practice for a large mural. The finished mural now hangs in the National Archives building in Washington, D.C. George Washington is standing in the middle wearing a white cape.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

A black and white drawing of a large room with no windows full of seated and standing white men in collared shirts and vests, long coats, knee-length pants, long stockings, and buckled shoes. Some of the men sit at tables that have lots of documents on them.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The Constitutional Convention

1787

Drawing by John W. Winkler, undated

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention.

Image Credit: Smithsonian American Art Museum

A colored painting of a group of white men talking to one another in small groups. They all stand in the middle of the street, in front of a multi-storied building with a large covered porch.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The County Election

Painting by George Caleb Bingham, 1852

Caption:

Voting is a very important civic virtue. But at the time that the N.H. Constitution and U.S. Constitution were written, voting rights were limited. Only white men could vote, and in many places, only white men who owned property could vote. Women, people of color, and indigenous people could not vote. This was still true 75 years later, when this painting of an election was made.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Saint Louis Art Museum, gift of Bank of America

A colored painting of a group of men standing on a set of stairs, looking at a man with red hair, a yellow coat and knee-length pants, and a light-orange vest. He stands on the right side of the painting, and holds a document in his hands. The other men in the painting all wear different colored coats or capes, vests, knee-length pants, and black shoes.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The Declaration of Independence

1818

John Trumbull

Caption:

This painting shows Thomas Jefferson presenting his draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia on June 28, 1776. Less than a week later, on July 4, the Congress officially voted to accept the document. The patriots had officially declared their independence from Britain. This painting is 12 feet by 18 feet and hangs in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

Listen

Photograph/Print

The Foundation of American Government

1787

Painting by Henry Hintermeister, circa 1925

Caption:

The U.S. Constitution is the foundation for the federal government because it lays out how the government will work, what powers the three branches of government have, and how each branch can check the power of the others. It was signed at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and ratified by the 13 states. It took effect in 1789 and is still the foundation of American government today.

Image Credit: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A colored drawing of three men, who all stand and look in different directions. All of the men wear tri-cornered hats, collared shirts with vests and long coats, knee-length pants, and buckled shoes. One of the men carries a rack and stands in front of a hand-held plow.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The Looking Glass for 1787

1787

Amos Doolittle

Caption:

In 1787, not all Americans liked the new U.S. Constitution. The process of ratification was divisive, and people for the Constitution and against the Constitution argued with one another. The artist who drew this political cartoon supported ratification. The caption at the bottom of the cartoon read, "a house divided against itself cannot stand." This means that the artist believed the only way to preserve the United States was by ratifying the Constitution.

Image Credit: Courtesy of the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

A black and white drawing of a large group of men standing outside of a multi-storied building with tall windows. They all gather in front of a small group of men, who are standing on a raised platform in front of a doorway. All of the men wear tri-cornered hats, collared shirts with vests and long coats, knee-length pants, and buckled shoes.

Listen

Photograph/Print

The People's Voice

Engraving by Croome and Brightly

Caption:

Starting with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, one of the important ideas of American government is that it needs to represent the people and be responsive to the people. This was long before television and cell phones, and not everyone could read. So people had to get their news of the government from hearing it read aloud. Crowds gathered at meeting houses, city halls, and other public buildings to hear important documents read aloud. In this picture, someone is reading the Declaration of Independence out loud to a crowd just after it was passed. Other important documents, like the N.H. Constitution, were read to the people too. That way the people could decide whether they supported it or not.

Image Credit: <i>John Nixon reading the Declaration of Independence to the people in front of the State House immediately after its passage</i>. Courtesy of the New York Public Library Digital Collections

A black and white photograph of a group of children and an adult woman with their backs to the viewer, looking at a collection of framed documents hanging on a wall.

Listen

Photograph/Print

Viewing the N.H. Constitution

1983

UPI/Naomi Lasdon

Caption:

In 1983, to get ready for the 200th anniversary of the N.H. Constitution, the original document was put on display at the State House. These 4th graders from Windham, New Hampshire, got the chance to view it in person.

Image Credit: New Hampshire Historical Society

Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention

Listen

Photograph/Print

Washington as Statesman at the Constitutional Convention

Painting by Junius Brutus Stearns, 1856

Caption:

In the summer of 1787, political leaders from all over America met in Philadelphia to write a new constitution for the United States. This meeting is now called the Constitutional Convention. George Washington, who had led American troops to victory in the American Revolution, was chosen to be the leader of the convention. He kept the convention running smoothly and calmly. He also convinced everyone at the convention to work together and compromise to write a successful constitution.

Image Credit: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. Gift of Edgar William and Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 50.2.1. Photo: Katherine Wetzel. ©Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Secret Found...
Color Mason The Moose!

GAME SETTINGS

Find It! Establishing Government

Find It! Scavenger Hunt

Click On An Icon To Find A Resource!

Biographies in this Unit:

Documents in this Unit:

Explainer Videos and Virtual Field Trips in this Unit:

Maps & Charts in this Unit:

Photographs & Prints in this Unit:

Secret Found... Color Mason The Moose!

SECRET FOUND!

Play the Matching Game with Mason The Moose :)

Select Difficulty level:

GAME SETTINGS

Find It! Establishing Government

Find It! Scavenger Hunt

Click On An Icon To Find A Resource!

Biographies in this Unit:

Documents in this Unit:

Explainer Videos and Virtual Field Trips in this Unit:

Maps & Charts in this Unit:

Photographs & Prints in this Unit:

Secret Found...
Color Mason The Moose!