Wave of Consciousness, "A Voice of Sanity in a World of Conflict"

American Documents for Social Work Study

by Natalia J. Garland, M.S.W.

Social workers can enrich their knowledge of social welfare and political movements through a study of American documents. These documents formed our nation as we know it today. Our democratic ideals have evolved from the unfairness suffered by minorities, immigrants, women and children, and from the need for national defense and foreign relations. These documents show how difficult it is to bring a government into existence and to manage a country. I have selected 55 documents to guide you along.

.........The Constitution of the Iroquois Nations: The Great Binding Law, Gayanashagowa.
1775.....Patrick Henry, "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death."
1776.....Thomas Paine, "Common Sense."
1776.....Declaration of Independence.
1785.....James Madison, "Memorial and Remonstrance," (separation of church and state).
1787.....Constitution of the United States
1789.....President George Washington's First Inaugural Address.
1791.....Bill of Rights.
1798.....Alien and Sedition Acts.
1807.....New England Primer.
1814.....Francis Scott Keyes, "Star Spangled Banner."
1823.....Monroe Doctrine.
1830.....President Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress, "On Indian Removal."
1850.....Compromise of 1850.
1854.....Kansas-Nebraska Act.
1857.....Scott vs. Sandford, The Dred Scott Case.
1863.....Emancipation Proclamation.
1863.....War Department General Order 143: Creation of the U.S. Colored Troops.
1863.....Gettysburg Address.
1865.....President Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.
1865.....Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery.
1868....."The Buffalo Harvest."
1870.....Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Voting Rights.
1877.....Chief Joseph Speaks, Leader of the Nez Perce.
1882.....Chinese Exclusion Act.
1887.....Dawes Act.
1891.....Lakota Accounts of the Massacre at Wounded Knee.
1905.....Theodore Roosevelt's Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
1906.....Naturalization Act.
1916.....Keating-Owen Child Labor Act.
1920.....Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote.
1935.....Social Security Act.
1936.....President Franklin Roosevelt's Speech in Defense of the Second New Deal.
1941.....The Four Freedoms: President Franklin Roosevelt's Annual Message to Congress.
1942.....Executive Order 9066: Japanese Relocation Order.
1944.....Servicemen's Readjustment Act.
1948.....Press Release Announcing U.S. Recognition of Israel.
1948.....Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces.
1957.....Executive Order 10730: Desegregation of Central High School.
1961.....President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address.
1961.....Executive Order 10924: Establishment of the Peace Corps.
1963.....Martin Luther King's Speech, "I Have a Dream."
1964.....Civil Rights Act.
1965.....Social Security Act Amendments.
1965.....President Lyndon B. Johnson's Inaugural Address.
1965.....President Lyndon B. Johnson's Speech, "We Shall Overcome."
1965.....Voting Rights Act.
1974.....Articles of Impeachment (President Richard M. Nixon).
1981.....President Ronald Reagan's First Inaugural Speech.
1983.....President Ronald Reagan's Speech to the National Association of Evangelicals (most often quoted as the Evil Empire Speech).
1987.....President Ronald Reagan's Speech, "Tear Down this Wall."
1998.....Approved Articles of Impeachment (President William J. Clinton II).
2001.....Patriot Act.
2004.....9-11 Commission Report.
2005.....President George W. Bush's Second Inaugural Speech (the first post-9/11 inaugural speech).

Refer to the bibliography below for references on accessing the documents: many are available online. (Written 05/02/05)

BIBLIOGRAPHY NOTES:

1.) 100 Milestone Documents from the National Archives, foreword by Michael Bescholss. Published by Galahad Books, 1992, ISBN: 0-19-7206-X.
2.) AMDOCS, Documents for the Study of American History, [WWW document] URL http://kuhttp.cc.ku.edu/carrie/docs/amdocs_index.html
3.) Ronald Reagan Foundation, Speeches, [WWW document] URL www.reaganfoundation.com/reagan/speeches
<<>>Since writing this essay, I have found another listing that nicely compliments AMDOCS (#2 above) as well as today's essay:
4.) Historic Documents, from the Patriot Post website, [WWW document] URL http://patriotpost.us/histdocs (this Bibliography Note was added on 05/21/08).