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Cover Page
MENU
Contents
Introduction
Selected Constitutional Decisions
Other Sites
Existing National Historic Landmarks
NOMINATIONS
First Bank of the United States
Pittsylvania County Courthouse
Second Bank of the United States
Sumner Elementary School
Supreme Court Building
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The U.S. Constitution
EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS
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EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS AND
UNITS OF THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM (NPSy) THAT REFLECT ONE OR MORE AREAS
OF CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY
The following is a list of existing National Historic Landmarks
(NHLs) and units of the National Park System (NPSy) that already reflect
one or more areas of constitutional history. Some of these sites, such
as the homes of the justices of the Supreme Court, or the homes of the
signers of the Constitution, are clear. Other sites, such as those
associated with the Northwest Ordinance, the Whiskey Rebellion, the
doctrine of implied powers, the doctrine of nullification, slavery and
reconstruction, civil rights, populism, progressivism and the women's
rights movement, to name a few, properly belong on this list. All of
these sites relate to the Constitution or the Supreme Court of the
United States in one or more ways. Some of them were designated for
their associations with either the Supreme Court or the Constitution.
Some were designated for other reasons. Since the Constitution was
adopted almost two hundred years of history have passed. The large
number of sites included in this list is evidence of the direct link
between the Constitution and its subsequent development, and the
history of the United States. This material is in chronological order,
when possible. Unless otherwise indicated by the designation of NPSy,
all these sites are National Historic Landmarks (NHLs).
PRECURSOR SITES INFLUENCING
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION |
(1) Roger Williams National Memorial Providence, Rhode Island
NPSy |
Roger Williams was the founder of Rhode Island. He was important in
the evolution of Puritan covenant theology in its role as the precursor
of American constitutionalism with special emphasis on the development
of religious liberty and the separation of church and state. The concept
of religious freedom pioneered by Roger Williams was later embodied in
the First Amendment. No structure associated with Roger Williams
survives.
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(2) Hanover County Courthouse
Hanover, Virginia
1735 |
In 1763 Patrick Henry argued a case here, The Parson's Cause,
involving a clash between royal and local authority concerning the
status of the Anglican Church in Virginia. The case proved to be an
early portent of the American Revolution and later influenced the
drafting of the First Amendment.
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(3) Potomac Canal Historic District
Great Falls Park
Fairfax, Virginia
NPSy 1786-1830
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Discussions between Virginia and Maryland concerning the issue of
Federal authority over matters pertaining to interstate commerce and
internal improvements led to the convening of the Annapolis Convention
and eventually the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
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(4) Maryland Statehouse
Annapolis, Maryland
1772 |
Site of the Annapolis Convention of 1786 that called for the Constitutional
Convention of 1787.
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By resolving the conflicting land claims of the states the
Confederation Congress pointed the way toward a compromise of the
various interests between the large and small states represented at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
(5) Beginning Point of the U.S. Public Land Survey
Ohio-Pennsylvania Border
E. Liverpool, Columbiana County
Ohio
1785 |
A rectangular land survey system, established under the Ordinance of
1785, provided for administration of land in the Old Northwest
Territories.
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(6) General Rufus Putnam House
Rutland, Worcester County
Massachusetts
18th Century |
Putnam was a Revolutionary War officer who helped organize the first
settlement in the Northwest Territory, at Marietta, Ohio; he also served
as United States Surveyor-General.
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SIGNERS OF THE CONSTITUTION |
(7) Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
The Franklin Institute
20th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NPSy (Affiliated) |
In the Rotunda of the Franklin Institute the colossal seated statue
of Franklin, by James Earle Fraser, honors the inventor, statesman, and
signer of the Constitution. No structure associated with Benjamin
Franklin survives.
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(8) Stonum
New Castle, New Castle County
Delaware
18th Century |
Home of George Read.
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(9) Broom (Jacob) House
Montchanin, New Castle County
Delaware
18th Century |
Home of Jacob Broom.
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(10) Lombardy Hall
Wilmington, Delaware
1682 |
Home of Gunning Bedford, Jr.; also delegate from Delaware to the
Continental Congress and the Annapolis Convention (1786).
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(11) Summerseat
Morrisville, Bucks County
Pennsylvania
1770 |
Home of George Clymer.
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(12) Mount Vernon
Fairfax County, Virginia
18th Century |
Home of George Washington.
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(13) George Washington Birthplace National Monument
Washington's Birthplace, Virginia
NPSy |
Birthsite of George Washington.
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(14) George Washington Memorial Parkway
Virginia and Maryland
NPSy |
This landscaped riverfront parkway links many of the landmarks in the
life of George Washington. It connects Mount Vernon and Great Falls with
Chain Bridge on the Maryland side. The parkway includes natural,
historical, and recreational areas.
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(15) Montpelier
Orange County, Virginia
1760 |
Home of James Madison.
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(16) Blount Mansion
Knoxville, Knox County
Tennessee
1792 |
Home of William Blount, signed for North Carolina.
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(17) Rutledge (John) House
Charleston, Charleston County
South Carolina
1763; 1853 (addition) |
Home of John Rutledge; also Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
(1789-91).
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(18) King Manor
Queens Borough, New York City
New York
1750 |
Home of Rufus King.
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(19) Boxwood Hall (Boudinot Manor)
Elizabeth, Union County
New Jersey
1750 |
Home of Jonathan Dayton.
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(20) Liberty Hall
Union, Union County
New Jersey |
Home of William Livingston.
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(21) Snee Farm
Charleston County
South Carolina
1754 |
Home of Charles Pinckney.
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(22) Langdon (Governor John) Mansion
Portsmouth, Rockingham County
New Hampshire
1784 |
Home of John Langdon.
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(23) Ladd-Gilman House
Exeter, Rockingham County
New Hampshire
1721 |
Home of Nicholas Gilman.
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(24) Hamilton Grange National Memorial
New York, New York
NPSy |
Home of Alexander Hamilton. (Not on its original site.)
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DELEGATES TO THE
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION (did not sign) |
(25) Dickinson (John) House
Kent County, Delaware
1740; 1804-1806 repaired and enlarged |
Home of John Dickinson.
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(26) Gunston Hall
Fairfax County, Virginia
1775-58 |
Home of George Mason.
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(27) Elmwood
Lowell (James Russell) House
Cambridge, Massachusetts
1766 |
Home of Elbridge Gerry from 1787 to 1813.
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OTHER SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS
ASSOCIATED WITH THE DRAFTING OR THE RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION BUT
NOT SIGNERS OR DELEGATES |
(28) Monroe (James) Law Office
Fredericksburg, Virginia
1758 |
James Monroe used this office from 1786-1789 during the period of
time he worked against the ratification of the Constitution.
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(29) Oak Hill
Loundon County, Virginia
1820-1823 |
Home of James Monroe.
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(30) Scotchtown
Hanover County, Virginia
1719 |
Home of Patrick Henry, an outspoken opponent of the Constitution.
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(31) Red Hill Patrick Henry National Memorial
Brookneal, Virginia
NPSy (Affiliated)
1986 |
Patrick Henry lived here during the last five years of his life.
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(32) Monticello
Albemarle County, Virginia
1770-89 |
Home of Thomas Jefferson. Although Jefferson was Minister to France
from 1785-89, he played a critically important role in setting up the
new government and giving meaning to the general phrases of the
Constitution that define the operation of the government today.
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(33) Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Washington, DC
NPSy |
This circular, colonnaded structure in the classic style introduced
in this country by Jefferson memorializes the author of the Declaration
of Independence and President from 1801 to 1809. The interior walls bear
inscriptions from his writings.
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CONSTITUTION DRAFTING
SITE |
(34) Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NPSy
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Independence Hall was the site of the Constitutional Convention of
1787.
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SITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE
RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION |
(35) Exchange and Provost
Charleston, Charleston County
South Carolina
1767-71
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Site of the South Carolina Convention that ratified the Constitution
in 1788.
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(36) Old State House (Old Colony House)
Washington Square
Newport, Rhode Island
1739-41
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Site of the ratification of the Constitution by Rhode Island in
1790.
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(37) Old State House
Boston, Massachusetts
Unit of Boston National Historical Park, NPSy
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Site of the ratification of the Constitution by Massachusetts in
1788.
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(38) Paca (William) House
Annapolis, Anne Arundel County
Maryland
1765
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William Paca was a member of the Maryland State Convention that
ratified the Constitution.
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(39) Bartlett (Josiah) House
Kingston, Rockingham County
New Hampshire
1774
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Josiah Bartlett took part in the state convention that ratified the
Constitution.
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WHISKEY REBELLION AND OTHER
SITES |
Demonstrated the power of the new Federal Government and was an early
indication of the success of the Constitution in creating a strong
central government.
(40) Bradford (David) House
Washington, Washington County
Pennsylvania
1788
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David Bradford was a prominent leader of the Whiskey Rebellion
(1794).
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(41) Espy (David) House
Bedford, Bedford County
Pennsylvania
1770-71
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Used by George Washington during the Whiskey Rebellion (1794).
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(42) Woodville (John Neville House)
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
1785
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John Neville was the revenue inspector who collected the Whiskey Tax
(1794).
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(43) Cape Henry Lighthouse
Virginia Beach, Virginia
1792
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One of the first lighthouses to be erected by the newly organized
Federal Government. It was the first material proof of the advantages of
a strong national authority.
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(44) Washington Navy Yard
Washington, DC
1800
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As the U.S. Navy's first
government-owned yard and home port, the Washington Navy yard was
the center for early 19th-century naval operations during a
critical period of expanding nationalism.
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(45) Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NPSy
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The Supreme Court met in Old City Hall from 1789 to 1800.
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(46) United States Capitol
Washington, DC
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Site of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1800-1935.
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SUPREME COURT JUSTICES: CHIEF
JUSTICES |
(47) Jay (John) Homestead
Katonah, Westchester County
New York
1787
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John Jay served as Chief Justice from 1789-95. He was also
co-author of the Federalist Papers and the chief American
negotiator of Jay's Treaty with England in 1794.
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(48) Rutledge (John) House
Charleston, Charleston County
South Carolina
1763; 1853 (addition)
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John Rutledge served as Chief Justice in 1795 but was not
confirmed by the Senate. He also served as Associate Justice
from 1789-91. Rutledge was also a signer of the Constitution.
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(49) Marshall (John) House
Richmond city, Virginia
1790
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Served from 1801-35.
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(50) Chase (Salmon P.) Birthplace and Boyhood Home
Cornish, Sullivan County
New Hampshire
1790
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Served from 1864-73. Presided over the impeachment trial of Andrew
Johnson in 1868.
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(51) White (Edward Douglass) House
Lafourche Parish
Louisiana
1790
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Chief Justice of the United States, 1910-21. Associate Justice
of the Supreme Court, 1894-1910.
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(52) William Howard Taft National Historic Site
Cincinnati, Ohio
NPSy
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Served from 1921-30. President of the United States from
1909-13.
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(53) Hughes (Charles Evans) House
Washington, DC
1907
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Served from 1930-41.
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SUPREME COURT JUSTICES: ASSOCIATE
JUSTICES |
(54) Story (Joseph) House
Salem, Essex County
Massachusetts
19th Century
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Served from 1811-45. Supported national supremacy over states'
rights.
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(55) Davis (David) House
Bloomington, McLean County
Illinois
1872
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Served from 1862-77. Wrote the majority opinion in Ex parte
Milligan (1866), restricting the right of military courts to try
civilians.
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(56) Lamar (Lucius Q. C.) House
Oxford, Lafayette County
Mississippi
1860
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Served from 1888-93.
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(57) Holmes (Oliver Wendell) House
Beverly, Essex County
Massachusetts
20th Century
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Summer home of Oliver Wendell Holmes who
served from 1902-32. Known as the "Great Dissenter" for his many
consequential minority opinions.
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(58) Brandeis (Louis) House
Chatham, Barnstable County
Massachusetts
20th Century
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Served from 1916-39.
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DOCTRINE OF IMPLIED
POWERS |
The claim that Congress, in addition to expressly enumerated powers,
also possesses resultant and implied powers derived from the "necessary
and proper" clause of the Constitution.
(59) First Bank of the United States
Third Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NPSy
1797
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Established as part of Alexander Hamilton's program laying a sound
foundation for national finances. Promoted the first great debate in
Congress over strict vs. expansive interpretation of the new Constitution.
Part of Independence National Historical Park.
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(60) Jackson Square (Place D'Armes)
New Orleans, Orleans Parish
Louisiana
18th and 20th centuries
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Site in 1803 where the American Flag was first raised over the Louisiana
Territory. Acquisition of Louisiana Territory indicated acceptance of
the doctrine of implied powers by Jefferson and the Republican
Party.
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(61) S Bridge, National Road
4 miles east of Old Washington on U.S. 40
Guernsey County, Ohio
No date
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In 1803, Congress authorized the building of a road from Cumberland,
Maryland, to Wheeling, West Virginia, as a government-financed
internal improvement Jefferson approved this measure, even though,
lacking the constitutional amendment he had urged Congress to adopt, it
required a stretching of federal power to do so.
Construction of the National Road, as it was called, began in 1811
and was completed in 1818. In subsequent years the road was extended
westward to Vandalia, Illinois. The S Bridge is a tangible reminder of
the National Road and a reflection of the doctrine.
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(62) Casselman's Bridge, National Road
East of Grantsville on U.S. 40
Garrett County, Maryland
1813
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This bridge was part of the earliest Federal highway project, the National
Road, begun by Thomas Jefferson.
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(63) Searights Tollhouse, National Road
West of Uniontown near U.S. 40
Fayette County, Pennsylvania
1835
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Six tollhouses were erected by Pennsylvania on its portion of the
National Road. This hexagonal brick structure is one of the two extant.
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POWER OF THE PRESIDENT TO
NEGOTIATE TREATIES |
(64) Octagon House (The Octagon)
Washington, DC
1799-1800
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A Federal-style townhouse designed by the architect of the
U.S. Capitol. It was occupied temporarily in 1814-15 by
President Madison after the burning of the White House. The Treaty of
Ghent, ending the War of 1812, was signed here.
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(65) Plaza Ferdinand VII
Pensacola, Florida
1821
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Site of the formal transfer of Florida from Spain to the United States.
Andrew Jackson, as newly appointed Governor, officially proclaimed the
establishment of the Florida Territory.
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(66) Ashburton House (St. John's Church Parish House)
Washington, DC
c. 1836
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Scene of Webster-Ashburton
Treaty negotiations of 1842 resolving the dispute with Great Britain
over the Canadian border.
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(67) Seward (William H.) House
Auburn, New York
1816
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Seward served as Governor (1839-43) and U.S.
Senator from New York (1848-61), emerging as leading antislavery figure
in the Whig and later Republican parties. As Secretary of State
(1861-69), he negotiated the purchase of Alaska from the Russians
(1867). This house was his permanent residence from 1824 until his death
in 1872.
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(68) State, War, and Navy (Old Executive Office) Building
Washington, DC
1871-88
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Constructed for the State, War, and Navy departments in the Second
Empire version of the French Renaissance style.
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(69) Root (Elihu) House
Clinton, New York
1817, with later additions
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Secretary of War (1899-1903) under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore
Roosevelt, and Secretary of State (1905-09) under Theodore Roosevelt,
Root bought this Federal-style house in 1893.
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(70) Sagamore Hill
Oyster Bay, New York
1884
NPSy
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The estate of Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. Used
as the "Sumner White House" from 1901-08. Site of the meeting of
Russian and Japanese diplomats prior to the conference that resulted in
the Treaty of Portsmouth ending the Russo-Japanese War.
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(71) Memorial Continental Hall
Washington, DC
1902
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Site of the 1921 international naval disarmament conference. The structure is
the national headquarters of the Daughters of the American
Revolution.
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(72) Kellogg (Frank B.) House
St. Paul, Minnesota
Late 19th Century
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As Secretary of State (1925-29), Kellogg negotiated the
Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928), for which he received the Nobel Peace
Prize, and shifted foreign policy away from interventionism.
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(73) Borah (William E.) ApartmentWindsor Lodge
Washington, DC
1913
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Residence (1913-29) of the leading Republican Progressive Senator
from Idaho. He was a most powerful force in foreign affairs during the
1920s, leader of the "irreconcilables" who defeated President Wilson's
League of Nations and of the isolationists in the 1930s.
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RISE OF POLITICAL PARTIES |
Political parties were
not foreseen during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Parties
insured a voice for opposition groups and helped to facilitate the
smooth operation of government by placing men of shared political
beliefs in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of
government, as well as in state governments.
(74) Adams National Historic Site
Quincy, Massachusetts
NPSy
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The home of John Adams and John Quincy Adams and U.S. Minister to Great Britain
Charles Francis Adams. John Adams was the second President of the United States,
one of the founders of the Federalist party, and was noted for his appointment of
John Marshall as Chief Justice of the United States in 1801 just before he left
office.
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(75) Hamilton Hall
Salem, Essex County
Massachusetts
1807-1807
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Constructed by Federalist Party in 1805 to house their social
activities.
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(76) Little White Schoolhouse
Ripon, Fond du Lac County
Wisconsin
19th Century
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Site associated with the founding of the Republican Party.
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Marshall gave a definition to the word "treason" as used in
the Constitution.
(76) Wickham-Valentine House
Richmond city, Virginia
1812
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Home of John Wickham, constitutional lawyer, who represented Aaron Burr
at his treason trial in 1807.
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This event re-opened the debate
over the constitutionality of the Second Bank of the United States and
the Supreme Court's decision in McCulloch v. Maryland. President
Jackson's veto of the bank bill anticipated later presidential vetoes
and the growth of the system of checks and balances inherent today in
the relationship between the executive, legislative, and judicial
branches of government.
(77) Andalusia (Nicholas Biddle Estate)
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
1794; 1834
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Nicholas Biddle was the head of the Second Bank and Jackson's
opponent in the Bank War.
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(78) Second Bank of the United States
Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NPSy
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Part of Independence National Historical Park.
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(79) Ashland (Henry Clay Home)
2 miles southeast of Lexington
Fayette County
Kentucky
1806; 1857
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Residence of the distinguished pre-Civil War political leader,
statesman, and perennial presidential candidate. Clay served as a U.S.
Senator, Speaker of the House, and Secretary of State. Henry Clay was
Jackson's principal opponent in the struggle to recharter the Second
Bank of the United States.
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(80) Tyler (John) House
(Sherwood Forest) 4 miles east of Charles City Court House on Virginia 5
Charles City County, Virginia
1780; 1842
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John Tyler, the first Vice-President to succeed to the presidency
without election, firmly established the principle a Vice-President
who succeeds to the highest office is the President
with all the constitutional authority of the office.
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The doctrine of nullification involved an argument concerning the
nature of the union as defined by the writers of the Constitution and
addressed the question-"Was the United States a compact of sovereign
states, each retaining ultimate authority, or was the United States one
nation formed by the people through the writing of the
Constitution?"
(81) Old Statehouse
Hartford, Hartford County
Connecticut
1796
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Site of the Hartford Convention (1814) which voiced strong states'
rights opinions in opposition to the War of 1812 and the policies of the
Democratic-Republican Party.
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(82) The Hermitage
Davidson County
Tennessee
1818-19; 1834 (modified)
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Home of Andrew Jackson. As President, Jackson faced the first real test
of the doctrine of nullification when Congress passed a tariff bill
that conceded little to Southern demands for lower duties. Faced with
opposition from South Carolina, Jackson made the strongest possible case
for both the supremacy of the Federal government under the Constitution
and the perpetuity of the Union.
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(83) Fort Hill (John C. Calhoun House)
Clemson, Pickens County
South Carolina
1803
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Home of John C . Calhoun, supporter of the doctrine of
nullification. Calhoun was Jackson's principal opponent in the
nullification crises of 1832.
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(84) Webster (Daniel) Family Home (The Elms)
S. Main Street
W. Franklin, Merrimack County
New Hampshire
Pre-1800
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Used by Webster as a home, vacation retreat, and experimental farm.
Webster represented Dartmouth College before the Supreme Court in the
case Dartmouth College v. Woodward, 4 Wheaton 518 (1819).
Gravesites of his parents, four brothers and sisters are located
here. Webster supported President Jackson in the nullification crises
of 1832 and debated the related issues with Robert Y. Hayne, a Calhoun
protege, in the Senate in 1833.
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(85) Webster (Daniel) Law Office
Marshfield, Plymouth County
Massachusetts
No date
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Webster used this one-room clapboard building as his natural
history library and law office. It stood on his Green Harbor Estate, his
home away from Washington from 1832 to 1852.
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(86) Ross (John) House
Rossville, Dade County
Georgia
|
Associated with the case Cherokee Nation v. Georgia (1831). The
state of the Georgia defied the opinion of John Marshall and proceeded
to remove the Cherokee with no objection from President Jackson, who
ignored the opinion.
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(87) New Echota
Gordon, Calhoun County
Georgia
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Same as above.
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(88) Chieftains (Major Ridge House)
Rome, Georgia
c. 1792; c. 1837
|
Ridge was the speaker for the Cherokee National Council.
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SLAVERY AND THE CONSTITUTION |
Does the Constitution give the government the right to legislate on the
status of slavery in the territories?
(89) Franklin and Armfield Office
1315 Duke Street
Alexandria city, Virginia
Early 19th century
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The office, from 1828 to 1836, of one of the South's largest
slave-trading firms.
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(90) Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
St. Louis, Missouri
NPSy
|
The Courthouse here was the site of lower court ruling in Dred Scott v.
Sandford (1857) in which the Supreme Court ruled the Missouri Compromise of
1820 unconstitutional.
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(91) Cooper Union
New York, New York
1850
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Site of the speech by Abraham Lincoln in 1860 on the slavery
question.
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(92) Nell (William C.) Residence
3 Smith Court
Boston, Massachusetts
Dates unknown
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Home of William C. Nell from the 1830s to the end of the Civil War.
He was a leading black abolitionist and spokesman for his race.
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(93) Howe (Samuel Gridley and Julia Ward) House
13 Chestnut Street
Boston, Massachusetts
c. 1804-05
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While the Howes live here (1863-1866), they were key figures in
Boston abolitionist circles, and pursued other reform and humanitarian
interests.
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(94) Lundy (Benjamin) House
Mt. Pleasant, Ohio
c. 1815
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Lundy established his influential anti slavery newspaper in this brick
rowhouse in 1820.
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(95) Garrison (William Lloyd) House
125 Highland Street
Boston, Massachusetts
1864
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Garrison, a dedicated abolitionist, advocated an immediate end to
slavery in his writings and lectures. He lived here from 1864 to
1879.
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(96) Lecompton Constitution Hall
Elmore Street between Woodson and 3rd Streets
Lecompton, Kansas
No date
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Meeting place of the 2nd Territorial legislature (1857). The proslavery
Lecomption Constitution was drawn up here.
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(97) Marais Des Cygnes Massacre Site
5 miles northeast of Trading Post
Linn County, Kansas
1858
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Site of mob violence involving pro- and anti-slavery factions in
the pre-Civil War struggle for control of the Kansas Territory.
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(98) Cary (Mary Ann Shadd) House
1421 W Street, NW
Washington, DC
No date
|
Home of the black teacher and journalist, who lectured widely in the
cause of abolition and who after the Civil War became one of the first
black female lawyers.
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(99) Helper (Hinton Rowan) House
vicinity of Mocksville
Davie County, North Carolina
No date.
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Helper, author of The Impending Crisis (1857), a controversial
anti-slavery tract, lived here for the first 20 years of his life
and returned in later years.
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(100) Old Main, Knox College
Galesburg, Illinois
1856-57
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Best-preserved of the sites of the Lincoln-Douglas debates
(1858).
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Secession was the culmination of the theory of nullification and
proslavery constitutionalism. It was the ultimate threat to the Union
and the Constitution itself. Advocates of secession argued that the
several states retained complete sovereignty, and that the Union was a
mere league, from which member states might withdraw at their pleasure;
the Constitution was a compact between the states and not, as Lincoln
was to argue, between the people of the United States; that sovereignty
was indivisible and could neither be divided nor delegated; therefore,
the Federal government had no sovereignty. The Constitution, they held,
was a mere treaty, and the Union a sovereign league. From this, it
followed that secession was a self-evident right, since it could hardly
be denied that a sovereign state could withdraw from a league any time
it chose to do so.
(101) Hibernian Hall
105 Meeting Street
Charleston
South Carolina
1840
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The Democratic Convention of 1860 was
held in Charleston. The Democratic Party splintered, and Republican
victory was assured. Hibernian Hall, the only extant building associated
with the convention, was Stephen Douglas' headquarters .
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(102) Yancey (William Lowndes) Law Office
Montgomery, Montgomery County
Alabama
19th Century
De-designated in 1985 due to loss of integrity
|
Yancey led Alabama's secession Movement and was one of the South's
leading "firebrand" radicals.
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(103) Rhett (Robert Barnwell) House
6 Thomas Street
Charleston, South Carolina
c. 1832
|
Rhett, an eloquent speaker and owner of the Charleston Mercury
newspaper, was an effective advocate of secession in 1860.
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(104) First Baptist Church
Columbia, South Carolina
1856
|
The South Carolina Secession Convention met here in 1860 and adopted a
unanimous resolution favoring secession.
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(105) Marlbourne (Edmund Ruff in Plantation)
11 miles Northeast of Richmond on U.S. 360
Hanover County
Virginia
1843
|
Ruffin, an ardent pro-secessionist, fired one of the first shots
against Fort Sumter from Morris Island in Charleston, S.C., in 1861.
After the collapse of the Confederacy, he took his own life at
Marlbourne.
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(106) First Confederate Capitol (Alabama State Capitol)
Montgomery, Montgomery County
Alabama
1851
|
Site of Alabama's secession convention and the adoption of
the Confederate Constitution.
|
(107) Lincoln Home National Historic Site
Springfield, Illinois
NPSy
|
Abraham Lincoln left this house to accept the Presidency on the eve
of the Civil War. The only home Lincoln owned.
|
What was the constitutional status of the southern states in
1865? How were blacks to be protected and integrated into American
society? Reconstruction was significant for the passage of the 13th, 14th and
15th Amendments to the Constitution which made the Federal government
responsible for the protection of civil rights for American citizens.
(108) Andrew Johnson National Historic Site
Greenville, Tennessee
NPSy
|
Home of President Andrew Johnson who was impeached by the House for
his Reconstruction policies. Also important for the Constitutional
issue in defining the role of the executive and legislative branches of
government under the Constitution.
|
(109) Sumner (Charles) House
20 Hancock Street
Boston, Massachusetts
No date
|
Sumner was an outspoken opponent of slavery who represented
Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 1851 until his death in 1874.
After the Civil War, he was one of the leading figures in the radical
wing of the Republican Party and played an influential role in foreign
affairs.
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(110) Wallace (General Lew) Study
Pike Street and Wallace Avenue
Crawfordsville, Indiana
1895-96
|
During Reconstruction Wallace was an influential Radical
Republican.
|
(111) Trumbull (Lyman) House
1105 Henry Street
Alton, Illinois
1849
|
An arch-opponent of the Radical Republicans, Trumbull sponsored much
Reconstruction legislation, including the Confiscation Acts, Freedmen's
Bureau Bill of 1866, and the Civil Rights Act of 1866.
|
(112) Howard (General Oliver Otis) House
607 Howard Place Howard University
Washington, DC
19th century
|
Residence of the Union General and head of the Freedman's Bureau, the
only one of the four original university buildings standing.
|
(113) Bruce (Blanche K.) House
909 M Street NW
Washington, DC
1865
|
Representing Mississippi, Bruce was the first black American to serve a
full term in the United States Senate 1875-1881).
|
(114) Rainey (Joseph H.) House
909 Prince Street
Georgetown, South Carolina
c. 1760
|
Joseph H. Rainey was the first black American to
serve in the House of Representatives (1870-79). His election to
Congress marked the beginning of active black participation in the
Federal legislative process as a result of the Civil Rights Acts and the
Fifteenth Amendment.
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(115) Langston (John Mercer) House
207 E. College Street
Oberlin, Ohio
1855
|
John Langston was the first black American elected to public office when
he was elected township clerk in 1855. He later served in the Freedmen's
Bureau and was the first dean of the Howard University Law School, U.S.
Representative from Virginia (1890-91), and Minister to Haiti.
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(116) South Carolina State House
Columbia, South Carolina
1851, 1907
|
In one of the final episodes of Reconstruction, it was the scene of
disputes about the 1876 state elections which split the government of
South Carolina.
|
(117) Grady (Henry W.) House
Athens, Georgia
1845
|
Home (1863-72) of a major proponent of national reconciliation
during the post-Civil War era, who delivered his famous "New
South" speech in 1866 in New York City.
|
CIVIL RIGHTS AND THE CONSTITUTION |
The 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution guaranteed the rights of
citizenship, equal protection under law, and the franchise to all
Americans. The division of responsibility between state and federal
roles in the process was open to interpretation. Procedures to secure
these rights needed to be put into place.
(118) Smalls (Robert) House
Beaufort, South Carolina
1843
|
Smalls, a former slave who served in the State Legislature and in
Congress (1875-79, 1882-83, 1884-87), lived here both as
a slave and free man. He fought for black civil rights while in office.
|
(119) Douglass (Frederick) Home
Washington, DC
NPSy
|
From 1877 to 1895, this was the home of the nation's leading
black spokesman.
|
(120) Montgomery (Isaiah T.) House
Mound Bayou, Bolivar County
Mississippi
1910
|
Home of Isaiah Thornton Montgomery, who in 1887 founded the town of
Mound Bayou as a community where black Americans could obtain social,
political, and economic rights in a state then domi nated by white
supremacists.
|
(121) Harper (Francis Ellen Watkins) House
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date unknown
|
Home (1870-1911) of a black writer and social activist who
participated in the 19th century abolitionist, black rights, women's
suffrage, and temperance movements.
|
(122) Wells-Barnett (Ida B.) House
3624 S. Martin Luther King, Jr., Drive
Chicago, Illinois
c. 1889-90
|
An 1890s civil rights advocate and crusader for the rights of black
women, Ida Wells-Barnett carried on her crusades in the pages of
her newspaper, the Memphis Free Speech.
|
(123) Dubois (W.E.B.) Boyhood Homesite
Route 23
Great Barrington, Massachusetts
1868
|
Site of the boyhood home of the promi nent sociologist and writer,
who was a major figure in the black civil rights movement during the
first half of the 20th century.
|
(124) Trotter (William Monroe) House
Dorcester, Massachusetts
c. 1890s
|
Home of the noted black journalist, who was a militant civil rights
activist during the first decades of the 20th century.
|
(125) Fortune (T. Thomas) House
Red Bank, New Jersey
Date unknown
|
From 1901 to 1915 the home of the crusading black journalist who
articulated the cause of black rights in his newspapers at the turn of
the 20th century.
|
(126) Boley Historic District
Boley, Oklahoma
1903
|
Largest of the towns established in Oklahoma to provide black
Americans with the opportunity for self-government in an era of white
supremacy and segregation. Associated with the cases of Guinn and
Beal v. United States, (1915), which ruled Oklahoma's literacy test
for blacks unconstitutional and Lane v. Wilson (1939), which
required that all persons previously denied the franchise by a 1916
statute be registered.
|
(127) Sweet Auburn Historic District
Atlanta, Georgia
Early 20th Century
|
The center of black economic, social, and cultural activities in
Atlanta from the 1890s to the 1930s. The Sweet Auburn District reflects
an important element in the life of the Afro American community in the
segregated South after Plessy v. Ferguson (1895).
|
(128) Terrell (Mary Church) House
326 T Street, NW
Washington, DC
1907
|
Residence of the civil rights leader who achieved national prominence
as the first president of the National Association of Colored
Women.
|
(129) Bethune (Mary McLeod) House
campus of Bethune-Cookman College
Daytona Beach, Florida
c. 1920
|
Two-story house belonging to the civil rights leader, administrator,
educator, advisor to presidents, and consultant to the United Nations,
on the campus of the school she founded in 1904.
|
(130) Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Washington, DC
NPSy (Affiliated)
|
This is the headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women
established by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1935. It also commemorates her
leadership in the black women's rights movement from 1943 to 1949.
|
(131) Little Rock Central High School
Little Rock, Pulaski County
Arkansas
1927
|
Site of the first major confrontation over the implementation of the
Supreme Court's decision, Brown v. Board of Education (1954),
outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
|
(132) Martin Luther King Jr., National Historic Site
Atlanta, Georgia
NPSy
|
Site of birthplace, grave, and church of Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.
|
(133) Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Montgomery, Montgomery County
Alabama
1878
|
Associated with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., pastor of the church
(1954-1959), who led the boycott of segregated city buses.
|
(134) Manzanar War Relocation Center
Vicinity of Lone Pine
Inyo County, California
|
Represents the ten relocation centers to which, during World War II,
people of Japanese descent were removed from areas in west coast states
without being accused of any crimes. They received no hearings and no
trials.
|
Populism was associated with the topic of the Supreme Court and
entrepreneurial liberty. How was the Court to respond to the social and
political pressures emerging from the new economic order following the
Civil War? The Supreme Court gave substantive economic interpretation to
the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment which differed
sharply from its original equal (civil) rights purpose.
(135) Kelley (Oliver H.) Homestead
Sherburne County
Minnesota
1860
|
Kelley was the founder of the National Grange Movement which sought
political solutions to farm problems. The Grange movement resulted in
many state regulations limiting the power of business.
Many of these laws, in what are known as the Granger Cases, were
eventually tested for their constitutionality.
|
(136) Weaver (James B.) House
Bloomfield, Davis County
Iowa
1865
|
Home of Populist candidate for President and anti-monopolist.
Proponent of the graduated income tax and a principal sponsor for free
coinage of silver.
|
(137) Watson (Thomas E.) House
Thompson, McDuffie County
Georgia
1975
|
Watson was a principal founder of the Populist Party.
|
(138) Bryan (William Jennings) House
(Fairview)
Lincoln, Lancaster County
Nebraska
1902-1922
|
Bryan united the Populist cause with the Democratic Party in his attempt
to win election to the Presidency in 1896.
|
These sites represent the first attempts by the Federal Government,
exercising the constitutional power to regulate commerce between the
states and with foreign nations, to meet the demands of 19th century
reformers and address the social needs brought on by the industrial
revolution. They represent the shifting of emphasis from laissez-faire
individualism to the reform of the economic system in the interest of
the general public welfare.
(139) Sherman Birthplace
Lancaster, Fairfield County
Ohio
1825
|
John Sherman was a Senator from Ohio who wrote the Sherman Anti-Trust
Act in 1890. This was the first attempt by the Federal government to
regulate industry. The site is associated with Standard Oil v. United
States (1911), and with United States v. U.S. Steel (1920).
The court used the "rule of" in the belief that bigness itself was not
necessarily a violation of the Sherman Act.
|
(140) Morgan (J. Pierpont) Library
33 East 36th Street
New York, New York
1906
|
Morgan, an important financier, organized U.S. Steel and was influential
in the railroad industry. Morgan was associated with the case
Northern Securities Company et al. v. United States,
(1904).
|
(141) Clayton (Henry D.) House
Barbour County, Alabama
1850
|
Member of the House of Representatives who wrote the Clayton Anti-Trust
Act (1914). Some significant cases generated as a result of this
legislation include: Duplex Printing Press Co. v. Deering (1921),
American Steel Foundries v. Tri-City Central Trades Council (1921),
and Bedford Cut Stone Company v. Journeymen Stone Cutters Association
(1927).
|
(142) Hepburn (William P.) House
Clarinda, Page County
Iowa
1867
|
Member of the House of Representatives who wrote the Hepburn Act
(1906), which empowered the Interstate Commerce Commission to
regulate railroads effectively. Significant cases associated with this
legislation include: ICC v. Illinois Central Railroad Company
(1910), Minnesota Rate Cases (1913) and Shreveport Rate
Cases (1914). These cases recognized the legal authority given to
the ICC by the Hepburn Act and its authority to pre-empt state
regulations.
|
Is the preservation of national historic sites and buildings a
legitimate purpose of the government of the United States under the
Constitution?
(143) Gettysburg National Military Park
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
NPSy
|
Site of the great Civil War Battle of July
1-3, 1863. Subject of Supreme Court test case United States v.
Gettysburg Electric Ry. Co. (1896), that justified
legislative basis for historic preservation by the Federal government.
|
The election of 1896 indicated a shift in voter alignment away from
the Democrats' doctrinaire, ideological style of politics, to the
Republicans' strategy of pragmatic, pluralistic accommodation. This
shift, along with the emerging concept of judicial review exercised by
the Supreme Court in the 1890s, had a profound impact on the
Constitution in the 20th century. The first result of this was the broad
based reform movement known as Progressivism which led to the passage of
the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th Amendments to the Constitution.
(144) White (William Allen) House
Emporia, Lyon County
Kansas
1887
|
White wrote The Old Order Changeth in 1910 which expressed the
dominant view of the progressive movement.
|
(145) Wayside, The (Henry Demarest Lloyd Home)
Winnetka, Illinois
1878
|
A critic of America's industrial monopoly during the 1880s, Lloyd wrote
for the Chicago Tribune and was the author of Wealth against
Commonwealth (1894).
|
(146) Johnson (Hiram W.) House
Washington, DC
1810
|
Leading voice in the progressive movement. As Governor of
California, he sponsored Progressive legislation and as Senator he
supported the formation of the Progressive Party in 1912.
|
(147) Wilson (Woodrow) House
Washington, DC
1915
|
It was during Woodrow Wilson's administration that the progressive
social platform was incorporated into the Constitution with the passage
of the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution.
|
(148) Norris (George W.) House
McCook, Red Willow County
Nebraska
1899
|
Norris was a Progressive Republican who served in both the House and
Senate.
|
(149) La Follette (Robert M.) House
Maple Bluff, Dane County
Wisconsin
1860
|
As Progressive Governor and Senator, La Follette was active in
government reform movements and was the Progressive Party candidate for
President in 1924.
|
FIRST AMENDMENT Freedom
of Speech |
(150) Federal Hall National Memorial
New York, New York
NPSy
|
Site of the formal adoption of the Bill of Rights and the site of the
John Peter Zenger Trial, involving freedom of the press.
|
(151) Debs (Eugene V.) House
Terre Haute, Indiana
1890
|
Home of Eugene V. Debs, Socialist Party candidate for President in five
elections. It is associated with Debs v. United States (1919), in
which the Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Debs for the violation
of the wartime Espionage Act.
|
EIGHTEENTH AMENDMENT Prohibition |
(152) Willard (Frances) House
Evanston, Illinois
1865
|
Willard made the temperance movement a national force. She became
president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in 1879. Her house
is now the head quarters of that organization.
|
(153) Dow (Neal) House
714 Congress Street
Portland, Maine
1829
|
A leading 19th-century proponent of prohibition, Dow was a
candidate for the Presidency in 1880 on the Prohibition Party
ticket.
|
(154) Nation (Carry A.) House
211 W. Fowler Avenue
Medicine Lodge, Barber County
Kansas
1822
|
Residence (1889-1902) of the temperance leader who became the
foremost symbol of a reinvigorated prohibition movement at the turn of
the century.
|
(155) Volstead (Andrew J.) House
Granite Falls, Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota
|
Drafted the Volstead Act (1919) to enforce the
Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
|
NINETEENTH AMENDMENT
Women's Right to Vote |
(156) Stanton (Elizabeth Cady) House
Rochester, Monroe County
New York
1868
|
Stanton, a leader in the women's rights movement, lived here at the time
of the Women's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls in 1848, which she helped
organize.
|
(157) Anthony (Susan B.) House
Rochester, Monroe County
New York
1845
|
Residence of early leader of the women's rights movement
who delivered the call for female suffrage at the
Seneca Falls Convention of 1848.
|
(158) Women's Rights National Historical Park
Seneca Falls, New York
NPSy
|
Susan B. Anthony was a leader in the women's rights movement in the 19th
century.
|
(159) Stanton (Elizabeth Cady) House
32 Washington Street
Seneca Falls, New York
1846
(Included in Women's Rights National Historical Park)
|
Site of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 that began the women's
struggle for equal rights, including the right to vote. Also includes
the homes and offices of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and other notable early
women's rights activists.
|
(160) Kimberly Mansion
1625 Main Street
Glastonbury, Hartford County
Connecticut
early 18th Century
|
Home of pioneer feminist leaders Abby and Julia Smith for virtually
their entire lives. In the 1870s, they refused to pay a real estate tax
on the grounds that they were not enfranchised.
|
(161) Liberty Farm (Foster House)
116 Mower Street
Worcester, Massachusetts
1810
|
Abigail Kelly and her husband, Stephen Symonds Foster, were active
in the anti slavery and women's suffrage movements. In the 1870s they
witheld taxes on Liberty Farm to protest Abigail Kelly's inability to
vote.
|
(162) Henry Street Settlement and Neighborhood Playhouse
263-267 Henry Street
(466 Grand Street)
New York, New York
1895
|
Lillian Wald, suffragist and pacifist, lived and worked here for 40
years.
|
(163) Harper (Frances Ellen Watkins) House
1066 Bainbridge Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date unknown
|
Home (1870-1911) of a black writer and social activist who
participated in the 19th-century abolitionist, black rights,
women's suffrage, and temperance movements.
|
(164) Rankin Ranch
Avalanche Gulch, Broadwater County, Montana
1923
|
Jeanette Rankin was the first woman elected to the House of
Representatives and an important supporter of the women's rights
movement.
|
(165) Sewall-Belmont House National Historic Site
Washington, DC
1820; 1929
NPSy
|
Headquarters of the National Women's Party from 1929, and
closely associated with party founder Alice Paul, a leader in the
fight for women's suffrage.
|
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