MCP App Store
by KeenEthics
Education
The Founding Reader icon

The Founding Reader

by Gerald Norby

Overview

Research the American founding through 136 primary-source documents, including the Federalist Papers, Anti-Federalist essays, the Constitution, and foundational documents. Search the collection, retrieve exact passages with paragraph-level citations, explore 15 curated debates, and follow documented responses between writers. Results include source links, dates, attribution notes, and authorship caveats where relevant. The Founding Reader helps students, educators, researchers, and curious readers compare arguments and check claims against the original text. All four tools are read-only. No account or authentication is required.

Tools

get_founding_connections

Claude
Retrieves documented replies and curated connections between founding-era writings and constitutional provisions. A reference identifies a document or provision, such as 'Federalist 24' or 'Constitution Article III, Section 1'; unit_id identifies a paragraph. Clause and paragraph queries return only anchored matches; whole-document references include broad connections. type='documented-response' without reference or unit_id returns replies across the entire corpus. Results include exact passages, dates, authorship caveats and editorial notes. Types: addresses-provision: The writing discusses this part of the Constitution. It is not a reply to another writer. documented-response: Historical evidence shows the later writing responds to the earlier one, for example by quoting or naming it. thematic-counterpoint: An editorial pairing of opposing arguments on one issue. The evidence does not establish that either author answered the other. historical-context: Background or a later outcome that helps place the argument. It is not part of the exchange itself. Documented responses run from the later writing to the earlier work and can endorse or oppose it. Pagination uses offset and next_offset, with 10 connections per page by default.

get_founding_debate

Claude
Retrieves The Founding Reader's 15 curated debates, pairing Federalist and Anti-Federalist arguments about the size of the republic, taxation, the presidency, the judiciary, a bill of rights, slavery and other questions. Without debate_id, returns the debate catalog. With debate_id, returns the question, constitutional provisions, each side's exact excerpts and dates, documented replies where available, historical context or outcome, and the editorial pairing note. Introductions, side labels and notes are editorial framing; passages are primary-source text.

get_founding_source

Claude
Retrieves exact text with provenance. The reference accepts a document identifier or a name such as 'Federalist 78', 'Brutus XI', 'Federal Farmer 3', 'Cato 5', 'Pennsylvania Minority', 'Constitution Article III, Section 1' or 'First Amendment'. Without a reference or unit_id, returns the collection's contents and exclusions. A unit_id selects one paragraph; context adds up to 3 neighbouring paragraphs on each side, marked context: true. Document text is paged by whole paragraphs, about 8,000 characters per page. next_offset identifies the next page; null indicates the end. Results include edition and source caveats, associated debates and connection counts.

search_founding_passages

Claude
Keyword search over every paragraph of The Founding Reader's 136 documents. Accepts topic keywords or phrases, with optional collection, author name or pseudonym, and document_id filters. Returns up to 15 candidate paragraphs with exact excerpts, attribution, date and reading link. Ranking measures keyword match, not historical relevance. Examples include 'dangers of faction', 'standing army in time of peace' and 'necessary and proper'.

App Stats

4

Tools

Claude

Platforms

Works with

Claude

Data refreshed daily