Acres of Diamonds by Russell Conwell is renowned as a classic work on how to be great regardless of your station in life.

With an abreviated but keen sense of observation Aesop tells stories that never attempt to portray the real world; yet within this fantastic setting he gives us a vision of the human condition that still provides deep insight to this day.

The Articles of Confederation were adopted by The Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and they became effective when they were ratified by all the states three years later on March 1, 1781.

Civil Disobedience is Thoreau's primary essay on how to interact with Government. Here the author argues that a citizen must always uphold conscience over what is prescribed by law.

At the Philadelphia Convention, delegates from twelve states (Rhode Island chose not to attend) met to amend the Articles of Confederation, but as the convention progressed it was decided to draft a new constitution which required only 9 of the 13 states to ratify it.

Federalist Paper No. 51, written by James Madison, was one of the most influential articles published, as it addressed the checks and balances that were put in place by the constitution to ensure that no branch of the government would dominate over the other.

In 1789 George Washington was elected unanimously by the Electoral College as the first president of the United States of America. He was inaugurated as president on April 30, 1789 and he delivered the first inaugural address at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City.

LearnOutLoud.com is proud to present this audio collection entitled The Founding Documents of the United States of America. These documents represent key points in the founding of the U.S. government.

LearnOutLoud's Great American Presidents collects four biographies of some of America's most celebrated leaders.

Part of a larger series of essays in which Emerson examined various historical figures, "Napoleon: Man of the World" is an invaluable study of one of history's great leaders.

Using bold imagery and beautifully written language to illustrate his points, Emerson formulates a belief system where nature itself is a divine entity that we can know directly.

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered a speech which supported military action against the British. This stirring speech swayed the vote and was most likely the deciding factor in committing Virginia troops to fight the British.

LearnOutLoud.com presents The Selected Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Volume 1. The 5 essays contained on this audio program have been hand selected and represent specifically Emerson's early career as a writer.

LearnOutLoud.com is pleased to present Volume 2 of The Selected Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

There are now a total of 27 amendments including the first ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. Amendments require approval by two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

After the ratification of the Constitution, the first United States Congress met in Federal Hall in New York City in 1789 and many of delegates wanted a "bill of rights" that would guarantee individual liberty in the face of the newly established federal government.

By the summer of 1776, the American Patriots had taken control over all the 13 colonies, and they were now effectively individual states establishing their own state constitutions that existed outside of British rule. On June 11, 1776 a committee met with the purpose of drafting a resolution to declare independence of Great Britain.

By May of 1787, Congress called on the delegates of all the states to Philadephia for a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation.