#FoundersLibrary
President John Adams is born #OnThisDay in 1735.

In 1776, he penned “Thoughts on Government.” Read it now in the #FoundersLibrary: https://ow.ly/c7EJ50XbZ5K
October 30, 2025 at 5:35 PM
#OnThisDay in 1870, Roscoe Pound is born. Pound was dean of the Harvard Law School, and a pioneering scholar of the new “sociological jurisprudence.”

Explore his writing in the #FoundersLibrary: https://ow.ly/i2Al50XbZ3x
October 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
#OnThisDay in 1704, John Locke dies. This philosopher’s work inspired America’s founding generation.

Read some of his work now in the #FoundersLibrary:
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1690)
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October 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
#OnThisDay in 1948, Eleanor Roosevelt, who redefined the role of First Lady, delivers a speech in support of the Declaration of Human Rights, connecting human rights to America’s constitutional tradition.

Read an excerpt in the #FoundersLibrary:
The Struggle for Human Rights (1948)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for The Struggle for Human Rights (1948)
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September 28, 2025 at 8:00 PM
#OnThisDay in 1945, the United States drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

In the #FoundersLibrary, read President Truman’s statement on the use of the weapon: ow.ly/wyQ350WxZpo
Statement by the President Announcing the Use of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima (1945)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Statement by the President Announcing the Use of the A-Bomb at Hiroshima (1945)
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August 6, 2025 at 8:38 PM
#OnThisDay in 1890, the Populist Party—an enormously influential third party—holds their first nomination convention in Nebraska.

Read the party’s 1892 platform in our #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/HnNq50WjWA2
Populist Party Platform (1892)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Populist Party Platform (1892)
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July 16, 2025 at 12:40 AM
#OnThisDay in 1723, Sir William Blackstone is born. America’s founding generation often cited his work.

Read more in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/kh3c50Wj6iE
Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-69)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-69)
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July 10, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Prior to his appointment as the nation’s first Jewish #SCOTUS Justice, Louis Brandeis delivers a speech #OnThisDay in 1915, reflecting upon the meaning of full civic membership in American society.

Read it in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/ktbZ50Wj5KZ
True Americanism: Fourth of July Oration (1915)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for True Americanism: Fourth of July Oration (1915)
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July 5, 2025 at 4:44 PM
This #IndependenceDay, read an excerpt from Frederick Douglass’ “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?—criticizing the chasm between America’s founding principles and the institution of slavery—from the #FoundersLibrary.

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What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? (1852)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? (1852)
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July 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
#OnThisDay in 1912, President Theodore Roosevelt and his supporters leave the Republican National Convention, an event which spurred the foundation of the “Bull Moose Party.”

Read his thoughts in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/9fsx50W93yc
The New Nationalism (1911)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for The New Nationalism (1911)
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June 22, 2025 at 6:19 PM
#OnThisDay in 1775, the Battle of Bunker Hill occurs. Abigail Adams wrote of the soldiers’ bravery, referencing Shakespeare. Read the bard’s works that inspired the Founding generation in the #FoundersLibrary.

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Selected Excerpts (1599-1633)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Selected Excerpts (1599-1633)
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June 17, 2025 at 11:18 PM
#OnThisDay in 1949, George Orwell’s “1984” is published.

Explore the lasting impact of this book in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/zsCO50W5QPs
1984 (1949)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for 1984 (1949)
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June 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
#OnThisDay in 1930, journalist Herbert Croly dies. Croly was a leader in the early 20th century progressive movement.

Read his thoughts on the #Constitution in our #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/JBx650VLvCt
The Promise of American Life (1909)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for The Promise of American Life (1909)
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May 17, 2025 at 12:00 PM
#OnThisDay, Friedrich A. von Hayek is born. His sense of libertarian individualism had a tremendous impact on late-20th century American thought and policy.

Read more in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/q2VB50VLv69
Individualism and Economic Order (1948)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Individualism and Economic Order (1948)
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May 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
#OnThisDay in 1789, President George Washington delivers the nation’s first presidential inaugural address.

Read it in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/j4W450VCpbL
First Inaugural Address (1789)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for First Inaugural Address (1789)
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April 30, 2025 at 3:31 PM
#OnThisDay in 1931, Ida B. Wells, an influential civil rights crusader and suffragist, dies.

This #WomensHistoryMonth, read her essay sharing the horrifying details of lynchings in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/YMqp50VjWh5
Self-Help (1892)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Self-Help (1892)
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March 25, 2025 at 7:19 PM
#OnThisDay in 1909 the NAACP is founded. Visit the #FoundersLibrary to read their platform, adopted to advance their cause for immediate recognition of Black people’s full constitutional rights. #BlackHistoryMonth

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Platform Adopted by National Negro Committee (1909)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Platform Adopted by National Negro Committee (1909)
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February 12, 2025 at 9:52 PM
January 28, 2025 at 6:54 PM
In January 1956, Brooklyn Dodgers president and team manager Branch Rickey delivers a speech on the process of integrating Major League Baseball.

Read an excerpt from the speech in the #FoundersLibrary: ow.ly/FA3y50UyNGS
Speech for the “One Hundred Percent Wrong Club” Banquet (1956)
National Constitution Center Historic Documents Library record for Speech for the “One Hundred Percent Wrong Club” Banquet (1956)
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January 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM