GED Academy Links

The Crisis is a series of articles written by Thomas Paine at the time of the American Revolution. Read these important essays by one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. (more…)

The Federalist Papers were 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay explaining the intentions of the U.S. Constitution and why the states should ratify, or approve, it. These papers were written to convince people to vote for the U.S. Constitution, and they give us a lot of information about what the founding fathers, who wrote the Constitution, were thinking. Learn more about the Federalist Papers: (more…)

Ben’s Guide is a great resource to learning about the U.S. Government. Learn about how the government works and how it was founded at the high school-level site: (more…)

The Constitution is the foundation of the United States government. It tells how the government is structured and how it works. The Constitution defines the powers of the different parts of the government, creating a system of checks and balances and division of power. (more…)

In a famous speech from 1872, U.S. Senator Carl Schurz said, “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right,” defining a new brand of patriotism. When is it necessary to make changes in your country? When is it unpatriotic to criticize bad things about your country? (more…)

The U.S. Supreme Court is a powerful legislative body, with the ability to tell Congress whether a law is constitutional or unconstitutional. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall was one of the people responsible for defining the powers of the Supreme Court. Read more about this important figure in U.S. government: (more…)

The Declaration of Independence is the founding fathers’ open letter to the King of England declaring that the United States would no longer be a colony of England. Although the Declaration is not part of U.S. law, it is critical to understanding the basic principles of the foundation of the United States. (more…)

The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the bill of rights, and they outline some of the rights that the founders of the United States wanted to assure to its people. The Bill of Rights is one of the most fundamental documents of the United States government. (more…)