Declaration of Independence

Historical Documents

Do you know what the Constitution really says, or who was actually freed by the Emancipation Proclamation ? Stop assuming that what "everyone knows" about these historical documents is what they actually say, and read them for yourself.

Declaration of Independence Full text. Read the whole thing, and get the phrases you have often heard in context.
The Constitution of the United States What does the Constitution actually say about the rights of private citizens? (Hint; almost nothing; it's all about setting up the government and limiting what States can do. The stuff we think of as "Rights" is all in amendments.) And is it the Christian document that the Right Wing wants us to think that it is. (Hint; no. Religion is never mentioned.)
The Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the Constitution. Read them for yourself, and see what they actually say about the reason for the right to bear arms (and other things.)
Amendments to the Constitution Amendments 11 through 27, which gave us things like freedom from slavery (1865,) income tax (1913,) the right of women to vote (1920,) and lowered the voting age to 18 (1971.) Find out what they say.
The Federalist Papers Although not part of law, these articles go into detail about what the Founding Fathers actually meant. These were the arguments that caused popular support for replacing The Articles of Confederation with our current Constitution.
The Reason for the Electoral College Alexander's Hamilton lays out the reasoning behind the Electoral College in Federalist Paper #68. (And it has nothing to do with campaigning in outlying areas, or any of the other things the pundits are currently saying.)
Letter to the Danbury Baptists Thomas Jefferson's letter of 1802 which introduced the phrase "Separation of Church and State." Yes, unfortunately, it's not part of the Constitution at all (although Jefferson's comments make clear that was the intention of the framers of that document.)
Deism The Religious Right would have you think that all the founding fathers were staunch Christians; but it's simply not true. Many, including Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Ethan Allen were actually Deists. Find out what that means here.
Writings of Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson was a prolific writer. Read more of his work here.
The Emancipation Proclamation Did the Emancipation Proclamation actually free any slaves? (Hint; no. It specifically limits Emancipation to those states and portions of states then in rebellion. In other words, those places that didn't consider themselves under Lincoln's jurisdiction. Any slave owners who lived in places that weren't rebelling got to keep their slaves until slavery was prohibited by Constitutional Amendment.) Read it yourself, and see.
Database of Early Historical Papers The government's collection of early congressional documents.
The Avalon Project Yale Law School's extensive database of US Documents from the beginning to the present day, along with a great many older supporting documents. A treasure trove.
Herald-Sun Votebook The North Carolina newspaper's database of Historical Documents. Only a few, but they are really easy to find.

I have tried in all cases to find sites that don't have any particular political axes to grind; however I encourage you to search for any and all papers you might be interested in yourself. When you do so, you will find not only the "raw" documents, but also commentary and context. You might, or might not, agree with the commentary, or find the context relevant. But that's part of thinking for yourself, which I strongly encourage you to do.