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United States Politics
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United States Constitution is officially ratified
Although the Constitution was adopted and signed in September 1787, it wasn't officially ratified until June 21, 1788 by New Hampshire. -
George Washington is elected as the first President of the United States
On this day, the former leader of the Continental Army and Chairman of the Continental Congress is elected as the first President of the United States. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a tax protest in the United States beginning in 1791 during the presidency of George Washington. -
1st Amendment is Ratified
This amendment prohibits Congress from making any law respecting an establishment of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press. -
2nd Amendment is Ratified
The right to keep and bear arms. This has become an issue today with crimes involving guns, so stricter laws have been put into effect since then. -
3rd Amendment is Ratified
This amendment places restrictions on the quartering of soldiers in private homes without the owner's consent. -
4th Amendment is Ratified
This amendment prohibits the police from entering a person's home without a search warrant. -
5th Amendment is Ratified
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury. -
6th Amendment is Ratified
This amendment guarantees a citizen a speedy trial, a fair jury, an attorney if the accused person wants one. -
7th Amendment is Ratified
This amendment provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases. -
9th Amendment is Ratified
This amendment protects the rights that are not in the constitution of the United States. -
8th Amendment is Ratified
Forbids bails and fines and punishments that are unusual or cruel. -
10th Amendment is Ratified
Reserves powers that are not given to the U.S. government under the Constitution, nor prohibited to a State of the U.S., to the people and the States. -
11th Amendment is Ratified
States are protected from suits by citizens living in another state or foreigners that do not reside within the state borders. -
12th Amendment is Ratified
Modifies and clarifies the procedure for electing vice-presidents and presidents. -
13th Amendment is Ratified
Except as punishment for criminal offense, forbids forced-slavery and involuntary servitude. -
14th Amendment is Ratified
Details Equal Protection Clause, and clauses dealing with the Confederacy and its officials. -
15th Amendment is Ratified
Reserves citizens the suffrage rights regardless of their race, color, or previous slave status. -
16th Amendment is Ratified
Reserves the U.S. government the right to tax income. -
17th Amendment is Ratified
Establishes popular voting as the process under which senators are elected. -
18th Amendment is Ratified
Denies the sale and consumption of alcohol. -
20th Amendment is Ratified
Establishes the date of term starts for Congress and the President. -
21st Amendment is Ratified
State laws over alcohol are to remain. This repeals the 18th Amendment. -
22nd Amendment is Ratified
Limit the terms that an individual can be elected as president -
23rd Amendment is Ratified
Reserves the right of citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for their own Electors for presidential elections. -
24th Amendment is Ratified
Citizens cannot be denied the suffrage rights for not paying a poll tax or any other taxes. -
25th Amendment is Ratified
Establishes the procedures for a successor of a President. -
26th Amendment is Ratified
Reserves the right for citizens 18 and older to vote. -
27th Amendment is Ratified
Denies any laws that vary the salaries of Congress members until the beginning of the next terms of office for Representatives. -
The Second President of the United States
John Adams on this day is officially announced the second President of America. He would serve one term. -
Liberty of Congress is founded
The original purpose of this was to provide research facilities for members of Congress; today it serves the public as a huge library center. -
The Third President of the United States
Thomas Jefferson is sworn in on this day becoming the third President of the United States. He would serve two terms -
The Louisiana Purchase
President Thomas Jefferson ordered the purchase of the vast Louisiana territory because he feared that the French would want to establish an Empire in North America. Arkansas, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri were some of the big states that America had acquired through this purchase. -
The Fourth President of the United States
James Madison gets sworn into office on this day becoming the fourth President of the United States. -
The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key writes the Star Spangled Banner as he watches the British attack Fort McHenry in Baltimore. This would become the nation anthem of the United States. -
The Fifth President of the United States
James Monroe becomes the fifth President of the United States and served two terms. -
The Monroe Doctrine
Made by President James Monroe, the Monroe Doctrine was a principle of United States foreign policy that opposed influence of powers outside of the Western Hemisphere. -
The Sixth President of the United States
John Quincy Adams is sworn in as the sixth president of the United States of America and served one term. -
The Seventh President of the United States
Andrew Jackson becomes the seventh president of the United States of America. -
Indian Removal Act
On this day, President Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, which would force the Native Americans to move from living in the eastern part of the country to lands west of the Mississippi River -
The Alamo
The early stages of Texas' war for independence from Mexico, a group of Texan volunteers led by George Collinsworth and Benjamin Milam overwhelmed the Mexican garrison at the Alamo and captured the fort, seizing control of San Antonio. -
The Trail of Tears
The land and water route used by the US government to forcefully remove thousands of Cherokee Indians from their homes between Georgia and Oklahoma. Along the way, over 4,000 Indians died. -
The Ninth President of the United States
William Henry Harrison becomes the ninth president of the United States of America. -
The Tenth President of the United States
John Tyler becomes the tenth President of the United States of America. -
The Eleventh President of the United States
James Knox Polk is officially sworn in as the eleventh president of the United States. -
The Oregon Trail
The route over which settlers traveled to Oregon in the 1840's and 1850's; trails branched off from it toward Utah and California. The Oregon Trail passed through what is now Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Idaho. -
Mexican-American War Begins
War with Mexico which began in 1846 when the U.S. annexed Texas and Mexico challenged the Border -
California Gold Rush
While constructing a saw mill along the American River northeast of present day Sacramento, James W. Marshall discovers a small amount of gold. This would then lead to thousands of people from all over to hunt for gold in California. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Mexico cedes territory to the United States for 15 million dollars. The states included present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. -
Ice Cream Industry Begins in America
Many ice cream industries start to be made in this year. Today, ice cream is one of the most popular desserts and America makes about 1.6 billion gallons every year. -
Civil War Begins
The North and South begin war against each other due to slavery issues. North was against slavery while South wanted slavery. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Was the largest battle of the American Civil War as well as the largest battle ever fought in North America, involving around 85,000 men in the Union's Army of the Potomac under Major General George Gordon Meade and approximately 75,000. -
Sand Creek Massacre
Controversial surprise attack upon a surrendered, partially disarmed Cheyenne Indian camp in southeastern Colorado Territory by a force of about 675 U.S. troops. -
Abraham Lincoln is Assasinated
Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theater in Washington D.C. on this day. -
Civil War Ends
The last major Confederate army surrendered to the Union on this day, -
The Ku Klux Klan
A secret society in the southern U.S. that focuses on white supremacy and terrorizes other groups. -
Spanish American War begins
A conflict fought between Spain and the United States in 1898. Hostilities began in the aftermath of the internal explosion of the USS Maine in Havana harbor in Cub -
Ford Motor Company Begins
Founded by Henry Ford, it is the fifth largest worldwide automaker in vehicle sales. -
The First World Series
Today marks the day of the first World Series Game Played in the MLB. It was the Boston Americans and the Pittsburgh Pirates. -
The FBI is Established
On this day the Federal Bureau Investigation team is formed. It is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States -
Completion of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal was constructed to shorten the distance that ships had to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Today it is still a vital canal that helps save time and money by transporting cargo more quickly. -
The 19th Amendment
On this day, women finally have the opportunity to vote. This right is also known as women's suffrage. -
The Stock Market Crash
On this day, billions of dollars were lost and thousands of investors were wiped out as these investors traded 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange. This day is also known as "Black Tuesday". -
The Deal of a Century
On this day, President FDR delivered his first inaugural address in front of 100,000 people on Washington's Capital Plaza. The purpose of this deal was to stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to the ones ho were suffering. -
Social Security Act
A law enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 to create a system of transfer payments in which younger, working people support older, retired people. -
"A date which will live in infamy".
Japanese fighter planes attacked the United States Naval Base which was located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory. More than 2,300 Americans died from the attack. -
D-Day Invasion
The most famous war of World War 2 was on this day when the biggest amphibious (from the sea to the land) attack in military history took place in Normandy during World War II. This attack was code named Operation Overlord. -
United States drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima
This was the first atomic bomb that the United States had ever dropped on a country. This happened towards the end of World War 2. -
Truman Doctrine
First announced by President Harry Truman, this was an American foreign policy created to counter Soviet geopolitical spread during the Cold War. -
CIA is Established
On this day the CIA is officially established civilian foreign intelligence service of the United States federal government, tasked with gathering, processing and analyzing national security information. -
United States sends troops to Korea
The United States sends troops to help aid South Korea in the fight against North Korea. America felt that they needed to try and promote democracy in North Korea. -
Hawaii becomes the 50th state of America
Although Hawaii was annexed in 1898, it wasn't until this day for them to officially become a state of the United States. -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
2000 CIA trained exiles landed in southern Cuba to try and overthrow Castro's government. However, it was unsuccessful. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
US took aerial pictures of Soviets in Cuba constructing military weapons on the island. JFK ordered a naval and air blockade around Cuba. USSR took away missiles if US didn't invade Cuba. -
Martin Luther King Speech
On this day, civil rights activist Martin Luther King delivered one of the most powerful speeches to a vast group of civil rights marchers gathered around the Lincoln Memorial. This would be a major turning point for African Americans to have the same rights as the whites did. -
Kennedy Assassination
On this day, President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas, Texas while riding through Daley Plaza on a motorcade. There are many conspiracies on who executed him, but the most known person blamed for the killing is Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
On this day, the Civil Rights Act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. -
The Vietnam War
This was one of the most highly controversial wars for America. They attempted to stop the spread of Communism by fighting against North Vietnam and the Vietcong. -
Martin Luther King Jr. is Assassinated
James Earl Ray fatally shot MLK a coupe days after he had given his powerful I have a dream speech in Memphis, Tennessee. -
"One Giant Leap for Mankind"
Apollo 11 was the first manned lunar landing mission with a crew of three astronauts: Edwin Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, and Commander Pilot Michael Collins. -
Kent State Shooting
This shooting occurred at Kent State University and involved the shooting of unarmed college students by the Ohio National Guard. 4 people were killed as a result of the shooting. -
The Pentagon Papers
These papers gave evidence that the United States government had been dishonest in their reasons for their involvement in the Vietnam War (Gulf of Tonkin) -
Richard Nixon Resigns as President
On this day, President Richard Nixon resigns due to facing impeachment by Congress. Was accused of being apart of the Watergate Scandal. -
The Three Mile Island Incident
An accident in Middletown, Pennsylvania where radioactive gases were released from a commercial nuclear power plant. -
Bill Clinton Becomes President
On this day, Bill Clinton is officially sworn in as the 42nd president of the United States. -
Oklahoma City Bombing
Domestic terrorist car bombing at Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This two men killed 168 people and destroyed one third of the building. -
Columbine High School Massacre
Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold carried out this school shooting in Colorado killing 13 people and wounding 20 others. -
George Bush Becomes President
On this day, George Bush is sworn in as the 43rd president of the United States. -
9/11 attacks on American Soil
On this day, Al-Qaeda commits the biggest attack of terrorism on American Soil. 19 militants who were apart of Al-Qaeda hijacked four different planes: Two were flown into the World Trade Center, One into the Pentagon, and one crashed on a field in Pennsylvania. -
United States Patriot Act
This was signed by President George Bush after the September 11 attacks on the U.S. This was passed to intercept and obstruct terrorism. -
Barrack Obama is officially sworn in as United States President
On this date, Barrack Obama is officially sworn in as the United States President. He is also the first African American to be President of the United States. -
Death of Osama Bin Laden
ON this day, the founder and head of Al-Qaeda was officially killed in Pakistan by Navy Seals of the United States. -
The Final Space Shuttle Mission
This was the final time that a space shuttle would ever be launched again, ending NASA's 30 year program. The space shuttle was named Atlantis. -
Aurora Shooting
James Holmes commits a mass shooting at a century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. 12 people were killed, while 70 others were injured. -
Benghazi attacks
Four Americans died on this day including US Ambassador Chris Stevens, due to the attack of members from the Islamic militant group Ansar Al-Sharia. -
Sandy Hook Shooting
On this day, Adam Lanza kills 20 children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School. -
Boston Marathon Bombings
At 2:49 pm two homemade bombs detonated near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring several hundred others. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlane Tsarnaev were the two brothers who committed this terrible terrorist attack. -
Ferguson Shooting
Michael Brown was fatally shot by an officer after he robbed a convenience store. This sparked many riots and has become a major issue up to present day. -
San Bernardino Shooting
On this day, two people inspired by the terrorist group ISIS shot 36 people (killing 14 and injuring 22) at the Inland Regional Center. -
Orlando Nightclub Shooting
On this day Omar Mateen, a 29 year old security guard shot and killed 49 people and injured 53 others at Pulse, which is a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
