Explore our nation's founding documents and George Washington's reflections for our country.
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. This founding document, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. George Washington presided over the Constitutional Convention and the debates and compromises that formed this important document.
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Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution were established through the passage and ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, two years after the ratification of the Constitution. These amendments guarantee America's most widely cherished freedoms.
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27 Amendments
The founders always believed that the Constitution would be a living breathing document requiring amendment from time to time. There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, and these are conducted with no easy task. They require two-thirds majority passage in the House and Senate and adoption by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
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Washington's Farewell Address
Written to "friends and the fellow-citizens" Washington delivered his farewell address at the end of his second term. In his farewell Presidential address, George Washington advised American citizens to view themselves as a cohesive unit and avoid political parties and issued a special warning to be wary of attachments and entanglements with other nations.
Read Washington's Farewell AddressExplore Washington's Presidency
Learn about the decisions Washington had to make in his first and second terms in office.
Explore the Presidency