-
1764 BCE
Sugar Act
A law enforced by Britain to increase British income by preventing the smuggling of molasses into the American colonies and raising higher taxes and duties. -
1689 BCE
English bill of right
The original Act of the English Parliament that firmly established the principles of frequent parliaments, free elections and freedom of speech within Parliament -
1620 BCE
Mayflower compact
An agreement made between the pilgrims and other passengers on the may flower who formed their own government. -
1215
King John signed the Magna Carta
King John signed the Magna Carta that guaranteed the political liberties of the English people. -
Jamestown House of Burgess
First elected legislative body in the British American colonies -
Petition Of rights
Was signed by king Charles and included matters of taxation, the application of martial law, imprisonment without trial, and the billeting of troops on civilian households. -
William and Mary Become Rulers
William and Mary Chosen to rule as joint monarchs of England after the Glorious Revolution of 16898. -
Boston Tea party
The English protested British Parliament's tax on tea. The demonstrators boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The British government considered the protest an act of treason and responded harshly. -
Boston Massacre
Seven British soldiers fired into a crowd of volatile Bostonians, killing five, wounding another six, and angering an entire colony. -
Northwest Ordinance
Established a government for the Northwest Territory, which included the area west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River. -
Federalist paper Gazette of the United states publishing
The federalist paper Gazette of the United states was published. -
6th Amendment
Guarantees the rights of criminal defendants, including the right to a lawyer, a public trial, an impartial jury, and to know the charges and evidence against them. -
8th Amendment
The Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects against excessive bail, fines, and cruel and unusual punishments. -
4th Amendment
Protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. However, it is not a guarantee against all searches and seizures, but only those that are deemed unreasonable under the law. -
3rd Amendment
The 3rd Amendment to the United States Constitution states that soldiers cannot be quartered in private homes without the owner's consent during peacetime. -
1st Amendment
Freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the government. -
Marshall Court
The Marshall Court was the Supreme Court of the United States from 1801 to 1835 -
Maybury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison was a 1803 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review, which gives the courts the power to declare laws and actions unconstitutional -
McCulloch v. Maryland
The court decided that the Federal Government had the right and power to set up a Federal bank and that states did not have the power to tax the Federal Government.. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland was a landmark 1819 Supreme Court case that defined the scope of the federal government's power and its relationship to state power. -
Gibson vs Ogden
States that only congress had the right to state commerce between states. -
Morrill Act
A law that established a system of state colleges and universities in the United States. -
16th Amendment
Gives Congress the power to levy income taxes without having to apportion them among the states based on population. -
13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery in the United States. -
Pendleton Civil Service Act
The Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883 was a landmark law that established a merit-based system for hiring federal employees, rather than the political spoils system that had previously been in place. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson was a landmark 1896 Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation laws, establishing the "separate but equal" doctrine. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution allows Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states based on population -
17th amendment
Each state will have two senators who will serve a term of six years elected by the people. Each senator will have one vote. -
The invention of the Radio
Radios became the first form of electronic media. -
The Indian Citizenship Act
Granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the U.S. -
FDR'S New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States. (1933-1938) -
Minersville School District v. Gobitis
Minersville School District v. Gobitis was a 1940 Supreme Court case that involved the expulsion of two Jehovah's Witness children from public school for refusing to salute the American flag. -
U.S v. Darby
The Supreme Court reversed its earlier opinion, deciding that Congress could regulate employment under the Commerce Clause and that the Fair Labor Standards Act was constitutional. -
Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066 was a presidential order signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 that authorized the forced removal of Japanese Americans from the West Coast to internment camps. -
Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States was a landmark Supreme Court case that involved the government's mass relocation of Japanese Americans during World War II. -
Invention of television
Televisions replaced the radio as the most influential electronic media. -
Great Society
The Great Society program became Johnson's agenda for Congress in January 1965: aid to education, attack on disease, Medicare, urban renewal, beautification, conservation, development of depressed regions, a wide-scale fight against poverty, control and prevention of crime and delinquency. -
Miranda v. Arizona
Miranda v. Arizona was a 1966 Supreme Court case that established the Miranda Warning, which informs people of their rights during police questioning. -
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia was a landmark 1967 Supreme Court case that ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. -
Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Prohibits employment discrimination against people who are at least 40 years old. -
Tinker v. Des Moines
The Supreme Court ruled that public school students retain their First Amendment right to free speech, even within school grounds, and that school officials cannot censor student expression unless it is likely to cause a substantial disruption to the educational process. -
New Federalism
New Federalism is a political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination in many areas of public life. -
9/11
The events that took place in the United States on September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. -
Homeland Security
Combined 22 different federal departments and agencies into a unified, integrated Cabinet agency. -
Customers and Border Protection
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection was established on March 1, 2003 in the Directorate for Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security. -
Transportation security administration created
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection was established on March 1, 2003 in the Directorate for Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security. -
D.C v. Heller
District of Columbia v. Heller was a 2008 Supreme Court case that established the right of individuals to possess firearms for certain purposes, including self-defense. -
McDonald v. Chicago
In the 2010 case McDonald v. City of Chicago, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment applies to state and local governments, as well as the federal government. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the right to marry applies to same-sex couples, meaning all states must license and recognize marriages between same-sex couples, effectively legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide, based on the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection.