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House of Burgesses
The first assembly of the House of Burgesses met on July 30, 1619. It was the first self-government created in the New World.The representatives were appointed by the Virginia Company. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed on November 11, 1620 by the colonists onboard the Mayflower. This was the first governing document of the Plymouth colonies. The people agreed to abide by the will of the majority. -
Half-Way Covenant
The Puritan Church began to lose political power over the newer generations. In order to keep the Church authority from declining the Puritans offered a “political deal” called the Half-Way Covenant which was partial church memberships. It was crated by Puritans in 1662. -
The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was America's first attempt to carry out their own form of Republican government. The Federal government could declare war and other foreign affairs however the power was given to the states and had no power to collect taxes. -
The Great Compromise
1787 The Great Compromise was an agreement between the large and small states; it proposed a bicameral legislature. There would be a senate that would have 2 representatives per state and a house of representatives which was based on population. -
The Constitution
The delegates that attended the Continental Congress presented the signed Constitution on September 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. However the Constitution was finally ratified after two years of debate. It allowed the U.S to have a stronger central government. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights refers to the first ten amendments. Its purpose was to protect individual and state rights from a strong central government. Some rights include: freedom of religion, petition, assembly, right to bear arms, etc. -
Judicial Review
The Supreme Court case Marbury vs. Madison gave the Judicial branch the power to determine whether a law was constitutional or not. -
The Louisiana Purchase
Even though Jackson interpreted the constitution very strictly he purchased the Louisiana territory from France. This extended the presidential power. -
Monroe Doctrine
Latin American countries were experiencing revolutions and leaning towards more democratic forms of government. European countries were afraid of losing influence in the western hemisphere but America did not want Europe to interfere with the Americas anymore so the Monroe Doctrine was passed. It declared that the Western Hemisphere was close for European colonization. The Monroe Doctrine set the basis for foreign policy from that point forward. -
Federal Government intervenes in Pullman Strike
In 1894 workers at Pullman's factory protested wage cuts and layoffs by destroying rail lines and equipment. President Cleveland sent 12,000 federal troops to stop the protesters during Pullman Strike because it interrupted the delivery of federal mail. -
Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus
In1861, During the Civil War, Lincoln imprisoned thousands of Confederate supporters without trial. He denied them their basic civil liberties as outlined in the Bill of Rights. It was an example of Lincoln’s emergency power. -
Homestead Act of 1862
The federal government gave public land to participants to encourage westward expansion. They gave 160 acres to anyone who agreed to farm the land for 5 years. The government gave away land instead of selling it in the West, which expanded the role of government to land sales. The act failed and overtime the growing of American agriculture led to individual homesteads with a smaller number of much larger farms. -
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
It gave federal land to states so they can build school, particularly specializing in agriculture and technical trade. -
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One Term Presidents
Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, and Chester A.
Arthur are all elected one term each from years
1876-1884. After the debates about the election of 1876 many in Washington sought to limit the power of the federal government. -
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
This act which prohibits monopolies or any business that prevented fair competition. The federal government was beginning to limit the power of corporations. -
Homestead Strike
Steelworkers and miners protest against wage cuts and the government intervenes, taking side of the business not workers. -
Anthracite 1903 Coal Strike
The union in a coal company was on strike for higher wages, shorter days. Theodore Roosevelt threatened to send troops to run mines since the nation needed coal to heat their homes that winter. Its significance was that it was the first time the federal government took sides of the laborers. -
Roosevelt Corollary
An extension of the Monroe Doctrine that stated that the United States was in control and Europe could not control nations in the western hemisphere. The United States could interfere with all the nations within the western hemisphere to help keep them out of control of European nations. The Roosevelt Corollary was a large expansion in the Federal government's foreign policy. -
The Food and Drug Act/Meat Inspection Act
The federal government became more involved in American life by passing this law that allowed the federal government to inspect packaged foods and drugs. Packaged foods and drugs needed to list the content, additives and chemicals on the labels. The Meat Inspection Act of 1906 allowed the federal government to inspect all meat, and to push meat industries to be more hygienic. The Meat must be marked by Federal inspectors and grades as well. -
Espionage Act
The Espionage Act gave the federal government power by censoring what the public said or did against the war. Anyone found guilty of criticizing the government war policy or participating in anti-war groups could be arrested. -
The New Deal
The New Deal refers to a series of government programs designed after the Great Depression, during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first term (1933-1938). The New Deal centered around three main ideas (Relief, Recovery and Reform). -
The Second New Deal
Roosevelt promised to take the New Deal a step further during his second election. It was similar to the first New Deal but it included more social benefits, stricter control over business, stronger support for Unions, and higher taxes on the rich, -
Social Security
The Social Security Act established old age pensions and survivor benefits, unemployment insurance, and aid for dependent children, the blind, and the physically disabled. -
Court Packing
The Supreme Court had overturned some of FDR’s plans. As a result, Franklin D. Roosevelt intended to “pack the court” meaning that he wanted to change the Constitution, altering the system of checks and balances. He announced his plan on February 5, 1937 but in the end FDR withdrew his proposal. If he had been successful, he would have given both the president and Supreme Court more power than Congress. -
"Great Society"
LBJ’s plan to improve the lives of many struggling Americans was called “Great Society”. Some of his goals were to end poverty, provide job training to young people, improve education, end the “Quota System” on immigration, and provide medical care for the elderly and the poor. It increased the federal government’s involvement in all aspects of America from economic to social issues. -
Deregulation
Reagan he believed the federal government should have a smaller role in American life so during his presidency he lowered taxes. As a result many federal funded programs were cut or eliminated.
(January 20, 1981-January 20, 1989)
