Leaders in the new nation held that voting should be restricted to citizens possessing independence of mind. What did they mean by that? Who did they mean to exclude from voting?

How did the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution handle the issue of slavery? Did authors and proponents of those documents acknowledge any tension between their ideals of liberty and the institution of slavery?

What proposals were offered to manage settlement of the Northwest Territory? How did the final Ordinance of 1787 shape the nation's expansion?