The Essentials of American Republicanism and the Creation of the United States of America

This lecture briefly considered the four phases in the creation of the United States of America beginning with the Declaration of Independence, 4 July 1776, and ending with the ratification of the Constitution in 1788. It highlighted the thoughts of key “Founding Fathers”, such as James Madison (the “Father of the Constitution” and author of the Bill of Rights) and Alexander Hamilton, on the creation of the “American Experiment”. Through the lens of the 1987 Bicentennial, it also considered those who criticized the Constitution as an exclusive document versus those who saw its enduring future as a “living document”.