Mayflower Compact

In 1620 colonists from England came to Plymouth, Massachusetts. They sailed on a ship called the Mayflower. The colonists left England so that they could practice their religion the way they wanted. Their leaders wrote a plan of government to make laws for the community. The plan was called the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact said that the colonists would make laws for their community. Everyone in the community would follow the laws. This was the first time European colonists came up with a plan to make laws for themselves. The founders of the United States used the Mayflower Compact as 

an example to follow later. 

United States Government

​Declaring Independence

Many colonists felt that England was taking away their rights. The colonists declared, or announced, their independence from England. Independence means freedom. Thomas Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Declaration of Independence has three parts. The first part says that people have rights. These rights are the right to life, the right to be free, and the right to try to build a happy life for themselves. The government must protect these rights. The second part lists the ways the king of England took away the colonists' rights. The third part said that the colonies were no longer part of England. 

The U.S. Constitution

The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787. The U.S. Constitution is a plan for the government of the United States. Many people worked to write this plan. George Washington was the leader of the group who wrote it. Benjamin Franklin and James Madison also helped write the Constitution. The Constitution gave the people, not a king, the right to rule. 

The Bill of Rights: Protecting Freedom

Some people felt that the Constitution did not protect enough of their rights. In 1791 ten amendments, or changes, to the Constitution were added. These ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights protects some rights of the people. Some of these rights are freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to gather together. African Americans sometimes were treated differently than other Americans. Rosa Parks tried to change this in the 1950s. Other African Americans joined her work to protect their rights. Laws were finally passed to protect all people's rights. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American judge on the United States Supreme Court. He worked to make sure that all people's rights were protected.