The People's Vote
US News and World Report and the National Archives worked together to come up with the Top 100 Most influential Documents in US History (up to 1965)
Top 10 here, rest at website
The Top 10 Milestone Documents:
1. Declaration of Independence (1776) 29,681 votes
2. Constitution of the United States (1787) 27,070 votes
3. Bill of Rights (1791) 26,545 votes
4. Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803) 13,417 votes
5. Emancipation Proclamation (1863) 13,086 votes
6. 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote (1920) 12,282 votes
7. 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865) 11,789 votes
8. Gettysburg Address (1863) 9,939 votes
9. Civil Rights Act (1964) 9,860 votes
10. Social Security Act (1935) 8,157 votes
I don’t claim to know history, but I didn’t realize the Louisiana Purchase was such a big deal. Is it? Or is the voting just skewed? Obviously gaining a plot of land is more important than the rights of minorities and women. But, #4, really??
And if you have time don’t forget to read the National Archivist’s speech full of likes like this:
Not only did the People’s Vote challenge voters to really think and learn about these 100 milestone documents, but it encouraged enthusiastic debate in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and online
2 Comments:
At August 23, 2005 7:00 PM,
Kenny said…
Any list that starts with a "Top [number] [something]" is immediately suspect as a load of crap. The "discussion" excuse is the people admitting that it's a load of crap.
At August 23, 2005 9:21 PM,
Zack said…
It was a really BIG plot of land, though. Tripled the size of the US, and probably allowed us to become such global assholes 150-200 years later.
I can't say I know.
But it was a HUGE, BIG, SIZEABLE chunk of land. More land than your brain or mine can really comprehend directly.
It was a lot of land.
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