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1215
Creation of the Magna Carta
King John signed the Magna Carta which proposed a limited government. Moved from the rule of man to the rule of law. The King cannot violate individual rights, taxes were also created. -
Stamp Act
Taxes for paper products, stamps, and other items alike. Was not taken lightly by the people. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers fired into a crowd of protestors; two colonists were killed. -
Boston Tea Party
Many people including the Sons of Liberty dressed as Natives and threw British tea into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
Laws passed as a response to the Boston Tea Party. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was signed in August, but Independence day is celebrated on July 4th, 1776 -
Articles of Confederation
The first draft of our soon to be US Constitution. Had many flaws. -
Shay's Rebellion
A protest in Massachusetts in response to the many flaws of the Articles of Confederation. -
Signing of the U.S. Constitution
The Constitution created a government that could act on a national level without being overly powered. It also protects fundamental rights for all citizens. -
Fourth Amendment
Prevents unlawful search and seizure. -
Second Amendment
The right to bear arms -
Ratification of the Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is compromised of the first ten amendments. -
Third Amendment
Stopped the forceful quartering of soldiers in peoples' houses without permission. -
First Amendment
Freedom of Speech, Religion, and Assembly -
Fifth Amendment
Prevents someone from having to testify against themself. -
Eleveth Amendment
Prevents people from suing states that they are not citizens of that state. -
Marbury v. Madison
Established judicial review -
Twelfth Amendment
Outlined how Presidents and Vice Presidents are elected and how the states are represented in those votes. -
Mexican-American War
Result of the annexation of Texas -
American Civil War
A war between the Union and Confederate states. A war between slavery. -
Thirteenth Amendment
Abolished slavery which was a fundamental step in advocating for civil rights. -
Fifteenth Amendment
Allowed voting rights for everyone regardless of race -
Seventeenth Amendment
Changed how US Senators are elected -
World War I
Began after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, war between the Allied Powers and the Central Powers. Nations would join both sides throughout WWI. -
Sixteenth Amendment
Allowed the government to impose taxes -
Eighteenth Amendment
Made alcohol illegal in the US -
Nineteenth Amendment
Allowed women to vote -
The Great Depression
Caused by a huge stock market crash; lasted from 1929-1939 -
Twentieth Amendment
Established term limits for government officials -
Twenty-First Amendment
Ended prohibition -
World War II
One of the most deadliest wars in history. Ended up softening the effects of the Great Depression since many people were working at the time. -
Twenty Second Amendment
Limited presidential terms to two four-year terms -
Brown v. Board of Education
Ruled that segregating children based on race at school was unconstitutional. -
Space Race
Russia and the US competed to advance their space exploration which ended up with the US placing a man on the moon on July 20th, 1969 -
Cooper v. Aaron
Ruled that everyone must follow the decisions of the Supreme Court -
Twenty Third Amendment
Allowed Washington D.C residents to vote for president. -
Mapp v. Ohio
Ruled that any evidence illegally obtained cannot be used to testify against someone in court. -
Engel v. Vitale
Ruled that school initiated prayer violates the first amendment. -
Miranda v. Arizona
Police has to read suspects their "Miranda Rights" before interrogating them. -
Twenty Fourth Amendment
Abolished the Poll Tax for voting, and made voting free. -
Twenty Fifth Amendment
Set up Presidential succession. Defines what is to be done if the president cannot do their job. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
Students keep their rights even in school. Decided after students were removed from school after wearing a black armband that protested against the Vietnam War. -
Apollo 11
Height of the "Space Race." The spaceship that carried Neil Armstrong to the moon. -
Twenty Sixth Amendment
Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 -
Roe v. Wade
Made abortion legal and a right, but soon got overturned in 2022. -
US v. Nixon
Stated that the president is not above the law. Result of the Watergate Scandal -
Texas v. Johnson
Established that offensive speech is part of the First Amendment, even acts such as flag burning. -
Twenty Seventh Amendment
This Amendment prevents any laws which change the salaries of Congress members from taking effect until after the next election of representatives. -
Terrorist attacks on September 11th
This is one of the most well-known and deadliest terrorist attacks in American history. This was when al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes, two crashed into New York City's Twin Towers, a third plane crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane was seized by the passengers and crashed into a field. Over 3,000 were killed and the attacks caused changes throughout our country that we still see to this day. -
Roper v. Simmons
This Supreme Court case decided it was "cruel and unusual punishment" to execute people for crimes they committed before they turned 18 after someone was sentenced to death for murder that he committed at 17.