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Declaration of Independence Signed
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. It declared the United States of America independent from the country of England. -
Articles of Confederation Ratified
The Articles of Confederation was the first Constitution of the United States. The Articles had many weaknesses including each state only having one vote. The failure of the Articles led to the Constitution being created. -
Constitution Ratified
The Constitution was ratified by the state of Delaware on December 7, 1787. However it did not go into effect until 1788. It is the basic law of the United States -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison created the process known as judicial review. William Marbury was appointed by John Adams as a Supreme Court justice, however his notice was never delivered to him. Marbury wanted to force Madison to deliver the notice, but the Supreme Court ruled against Marbury, declaring the act unconstitutional -
McCulloch v. Maryland
A second National Bank of the United States was established in Maryland. To combat this, Maryland imposed a tax on notes from any bank not chartered in Maryland. The Supreme Court invoked the Necessary and Proper Clause when deciding this case. This case set up the implied powers given to Congress in the Constitution -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese performed a surprise attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack devastated the forces there and led to a declaration of war on Japan. -
Mapp v. Ohio
Mapp v. Ohio dealt with rights under the Fourth Amendment pertaining to search and seizure. The case declared that evidence obtained by an illegal search and seizure may not be used in state courts as well as federal courts. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was the response to two minor naval skirmishes off the coast of North Vietnam between the U.S. and North Vietnam. -
Lemon v. Kurtzman
Lemon v. Kurtzman ruled that Pennsylvania's attempt to use taxpayer's money to reimburse non-public schools would not be allowed. They claimed that it violated the Establishment Clause in the Constitution -
New Jersey v. TLO
New Jersey v. TLO was a case appealed to the United States Supreme Court. It involved the search of a high school student after it was suspected she had contraband. The search was declared Constitutional under the Fourth Amendment by a 6-3 ruling. -
Iraq War Resolution
The Iraq War Resolution cited many factors to justify war with the country of Iraq. One of the factors was the attacks on September 11, 2001.
