These documents chart the progress of man’s quest for freedom on this continent, and of his monumental achievement in building and maintaining a free society. The United States of America was the first nation of the world created by the pen as well as the sword; and the ideas expressed in these documents have shaped the lives of all Americans: indeed, these ideas, perhaps more than the vast, rich continent and the American people themselves, have given America its unique identity among the nations of history.

Faith in the rightness of these ideas has come down through the years from the Founding Fathers. The signers of the Declaration of Independence had faith enough in the “self-evident” truths to pledge their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. And the framers of the Constitution had faith enough in the ideas in that document to make a constitution, for the first time in history, the supreme law of the land. In these documents presented here are the spirit and essence of our political heritage, but today these documents are more often worshipped than understood. 

These documents are meant to be read. They include photographs of all the original documents, and are presented in large, readable type, so that each citizen, young or old, may not merely possess, but read and know, understand and cherish.  

Vincent Wilson, Jr. The Book of Great American Documents. Copyright 1967 by American History Research Associates.