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Jun 15, 1215
magna carta
Magna Carta was issued in June 1215 and was the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law. It sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power, and placed limits of royal authority by establishing law as a power in itself. -
1526
The Atlantic slave trade
The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Passage. -
join or die snake political cartoon
The “Join, or Die” political cartoon by Benjamin Franklin was a call to action for the American colonists to unite against the French and their Native American allies during the French and Indian War -
Boston tea party
The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, by the Sons of Liberty in Boston in colonial Massachusetts -
declaration of independence
The Declaration of Independence, formally titled The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America in both the engrossed version and the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. -
articles of confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, in effect from 1781 to 1789. It established the country's first national government after the American War for Independence. The Articles of Confederation had several key features -
constitutional convention
The Constitutional Convention was a formal meeting held in 1787 for the purpose of creating a constitution for the United States. The Constitution of the United States is the document that serves as the fundamental law of the country. -
virginia plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal for the United States government's structure that was presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The plan was written by James Madison and introduced by Edmund Randolph. -
new jersey plan
The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States government that was presented at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The plan was put forth by William Paterson, the head of the New Jersey delegation, and was intended to benefit smaller states. The plan's main proposal was to give each state an equal vote in a unicameral legislature. -
Bill of Rights
The United States Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution -
Rights of the Accused
5th Amendment Right Against Self-Incrimination
Citizens cannot be forced to give evidence or testimony unless the government gives them immunity for crimes committed -
Freedoms of Assembly and Petition
"Congress shall make no law... abridging... the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Citizens have the right to peacefully assemble and petition the government -
The Right to Keep and Bear Arms
2nd Amendment
"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." -
Civil Liberties
Basic rights and freedoms that are guaranteed to all people
Either explicitly identified in the Constitution/Bill of Rights or inferred through the years by legislatures or the courts.
(Ex: Right to free speech, Right to privacy, Right to vote, etc.) -
The First Amendment
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Religious Freedom
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." -
civil war
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union. -
abolition of slavery
The abolition of slavery in the United States was achieved through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which was ratified on December 6, 1865. The amendment states that slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited in the United States, except as punishment for a crime. It also gives Congress the power to enforce the amendment through legislation -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Ended Chinese immigration to the US -
Seneca Falls Convention (1848)
First national woman's rights convention in the US
Called for equal rights in voting, education, and property
Wyoming Territory was the first to grant women the right to vote (1869)
Susan B. Anthony refused to support the 15th amendment (equal voting rights regardless of race) because it didn’t extend voting rights to women. (1870)
19th amendment gave women the right to vote (1920) -
Jim Crow law
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, "Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the Jim Crow laws were overturned in 1965. -
World War I
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. -
United States v. Miller (1939)
Ruled 2nd Amendment does not protect the right to have all types of weapons -
World War II
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. -
Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940)
The Supreme Court ruled that a child could be expelled for refusing to salute the American flag or recite the pledge (these actions violated the child’s religious beliefs)
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) -
Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the United States, just before 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, December 7, 1941. At the time, the United States was a neutral country in World War II. -
Executive Order 9066 (1942)
FDR required all people of Japanese descent on the West Coast to report to "War Relocation Centers" (internment camps)
120,000 left their homes and businesses and 80,000 remained in camps until the war was over. -
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943)
The court reversed itself and decided unity was not a sufficient reason to overrule religious beliefs.
Freedom of Speech and of the Press -
the new nation
A scholarly account of the first years of the new nation that was born of the American Revolution. The period is important if only because during it men debated publicly and violently the question of whether or not people could govern themselves -
Rosa parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement, best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". -
Freedom of Association
Right to join with others, share ideas, and work toward a common purpose
Freedoms of Assembly and Petition -
Civil Rights Act of 1960
Empowered the federal government to actively engage in voter registration in places where voting discrimination had been found -
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Nell Bridges Hall is an American civil rights activist. She was the first African American child to attend formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana during the New Orleans school desegregation crisis on November 14, 1960 -
Edwards v. South Carolina (1963)
187 African-American students gathered at the state capitol to protest racial injustice
Students did not end the protest when police told them to and were arrested.
Court said the state had no authority to disperse the students, as they were protesting -
Equal Pay Act of 1963
Established equal pay for men and women -
john f Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, often referred to as JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person elected president. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Banned discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender, or national origin in voting, employment, and public accommodations
Passed under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, so businesses had to follow the law as well -
civil rights act
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. -
Malcolm x
Malcolm X was an African American revolutionary, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement until his assassination in 1965. -
montgomery to selma march
The Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of nonviolent protests in 1965 that took place in Alabama to demand the right to vote for Black Americans -
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967)
Protects applicants and employees of 40+ years old from discrimination based on age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, privileges, etc. of employment. -
Freedom of Information Act
Government must release certain documents to the press and public upon request
Freedom of Speech and of the Press
Protecting free speech can become difficult if the speech is unpopular
Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable. -
martin luther king jr
Martin Luther King Jr. was an American Baptist minister, activist, and political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. -
Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1975
prohibited banks, stores, and other businesses from preventing women from getting loans or credit. -
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975
allowed Native American Groups to control federally funded programs in their communities -
Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)
Prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. -
Reagan contract with America
Written by Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey, and in part using text from former President Ronald Reagan's 1985 State of the Union Address, the Contract detailed the actions the Republicans promised to take if they became the majority party in the United States House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. -
9/11
Nineteen terrorists from al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes, deliberately crashing two of the planes into the upper floors of the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center complex and a third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. -
D.C. v. Heller (2008)
Ruled 2nd Amendment right to bear arms includes the right to self defense -
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. As a member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African-American president in U.S. history. -
McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
Ruled 2nd Amendment applies to federal, state, and local governments; upheld 2nd Amendment