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United States Politics
A historical timeline of the United States political landscape from 1784-2017 -
Shay's Rebellion
A series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. -
Philadelphia Convention
A constitutional convention took place in Philadelphia -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
Chartered a government for the Northwest Territory, provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
US Constitution
The United States constitution comes into effect -
First Inauguration of George Washington
George Washington was inaugurated as President in New York City -
Washington Reelected
Washington was reelected President. John Adams was chosen as Vice President. -
Chisholm vs Georgia
Considered the first United States Supreme Court case of significance and impact -
Battle of Fallen Timbers
The battle took place ending the Northwest Indian War with the Western Confederacy. -
Naturalization Act of 1795
Extended the residence requirement for persons seeking naturalization and reserving the right of naturalization to white people. -
11th Amendment
Bars the federal government from hearing suits brought against a state by a citizen of another state or of a foreign country -
United States vs Hamilton
A defendant jailed for a capital offense can be released on bail. -
United States vs Lawrence
Cannot issue a writ of mandamus compelling a district court judge to proceed in a case when that judge feels he has insufficient evidence to do so -
Tennessee Admitted
Tennessee, formerly Southwest Territory, was admitted as the sixteenth state. -
John Adams Wins Election
U.S. presidential election, 1796: Adams was elected President. Thomas Jefferson was elected Vice President. -
George Washington Dies
George Washington, the American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, dies of acute laryngitis at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia -
Capital Moving, Library of Congress Created
Adams signed into law an act establishing the Library of Congress and moving the national capital from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. -
Slave Trade Act of 1800
The Slave Trade Act of 1800, which forbade residents and citizens of the United States from investing in or serving aboard a ship engaged in the business of transporting slaves into the United States, was signed into law. -
Fries's Rebellion
Home Tax Rebellion and, in Deitsch, the Heesses-Wasser Uffschtand, was an armed tax revolt among Pennsylvania Dutch farmers between 1799 and 1800. Adams issued a general amnesty to all participants in the rebellion. -
Invasion of Curaçao
American forces arrived to expel French forces from Curaçao. -
Ohio Admitted
Ohio, formerly the Northwest Territory, becomes the 17th state. -
Burr-Hamilton Duel
Alexander Hamilton is fatally wounded. -
Jefferson reelected
U.S. presidential election: Jefferson is reelected President; George Clinton is elected Vice President. -
James Madison Elected
U.S. presidential election: James Madison is elected president. Clinton is reelected as Vice President. -
Louisiana Admitted
Louisiana becomes the 18th state -
War of 1812
A military conflict that lasted from June 1812 to February 1815, fought between the United States of America and the United Kingdom, its North American colonies, and its Native American allies. -
Madison Reelected
U.S. presidential election: Madison is reelected President; Elbridge Gerry is elected United States Vice President. -
Burning of Washington
British troops burn Washington, D.C. but are forced back at Baltimore. -
James Monroe Elected
U.S. presidential election, 1816: James Monroe is elected President. Daniel D. Tompkins is elected Vice President. -
Indiana Admitted
Indiana becomes the 19th state -
Mississippi Admitted
Mississippi becomes the 20th state -
Illinois Admitted
Illinois becomes the 21st state -
Alabama Admitted
Alabama becomes the 22nd state -
Maine Admitted
The state of Maine was admitted to the Union -
Missouri Admitted
Missouri becomes the 24th state. -
John Quincy Adams Elected
United States presidential election, 1824: John Quincy Adams was elected president by the House, winning thirteen of twenty-four states. -
Andrew Jackson Elected
U.S. presidential election: Andrew Jackson is elected President. Calhoun continues as Vice President. -
Arkansas Admitted
Arkansas becomes the 25th state. -
Van Buren Elected
U.S. presidential election: Van Buren is elected President, Richard Mentor Johnson Vice President. -
Michigan Accepted
Michigan becomes the 26th state. -
Florida Territory Admitted
The Florida Territory was admitted to the union as the state of Florida -
Steel City Up In Flames
Great Fire of Pittsburgh: A fire in Pittsburgh burned roughly a third of the city and killed two. -
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy was founded. -
Iowa Admitted
Iowa becomes the 29th state. -
Golden Cali
The gold rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California -
End of Mexican-American War
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the war. -
Wisconsin Admitted
Wisconsin becomes the 30th state. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, eliminating the last civil and political rights of escaped slaves and imposing serious penalties for harboring or failing to arrest fugitives. -
Minnesota Admitted
Minnesota becomes the 32nd state. -
Oregon Admitted
Oregon becomes the 33rd state. -
Honest Abe Elected
United States presidential election: Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the United States. -
South Carolina Says Adios
South Carolina seceded from the Union. -
Kansas Admitted
Kansas becomes the 34th state. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the American Civil War. -
The First Battle of Bull Run
The first battle of the American Civil War, fought in Virginia near Washington, D.C. The surprising victory of the Confederate army humiliated the North and forced it to prepare for a long war. -
Jefferson Davis, the OTHER President
Jefferson Davis is elected President of the Confederacy. -
Robert E. Lee
General Robert E. Lee is placed in command of the Army of Northern Virginia. -
The Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run: The battle takes place. -
Battle of Antietam
Halted the Confederate advance on Maryland for the purpose of gaining military supplies. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in those states that had seceded. -
West Virginia Secedes
Pro-Union counties which had seceded from Virginia become the 35th state West Virginia. -
The Battle of Gettysburg
Union victory that stopped Confederate General Robert E. Lee's second invasion of the North. More than 50,000 men fell as casualties during the 3-day battle, making it the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War -
15th Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment, which prohibits federal and state governments from denying the right to vote to any citizen on the basis of "race, color or previous condition of servitude," was ratified. -
North and South Dakota Admitted
North Dakota, South Dakota becomes the 39th and 40th states. -
Montana Admitted
Montana becomes the 41st state -
Washington Admitted
Washington becomes the 42nd state. -
Idaho Admitted
Idaho becomes the 43rd state. -
Wyoming Admitted
Wyoming becomes the 44th state. -
Utah Admitted
Utah becomes the 45th state. -
New Mexico Admitted
New Mexico was admitted to the Union, becoming the 47th -
Arizona Admitted
Arizona was admitted to the Union, becoming the 48th state. -
1992 Los Angeles Riots
Riots in Los Angeles, spurred by the acquittal of four Los Angeles Police Department officers accused in the beating of Rodney King, took place, which resulted in over fifty deaths and $1 billion in damage -
27th Amendment
The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, prohibiting changes to Congressmen's salaries from taking effect until after an election of Representatives, was ratified -
Bill Clinton Elected
United States presidential election, 1992: Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was elected President, defeating incumbent George H. W. Bush and Texas businessman Ross Perot. -
1993 World Trade Center Bombing
A truck bomb exploded in the parking garage under the World Trade Center in Manhattan, killing six people and injuring 1,042 others -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell
The Don't ask, don't tell policy, prohibiting openly gay and bisexual people from serving in the military, was signed into law -
NAFTA
The North American Free Trade Agreement was signed by the United States -
1994 Northridge Earthquake
The 1994 Northridge earthquake, striking the Northridge, Los Angeles area, killed fifty-seven people and leaving 20,000 others homeless; causing $20 billion in damage and being the costliest earthquake in U.S. history -
U.S. Embassy Bombings
224 were killed in bombings in Tanzania and Kenya -
Columbine
Two teenage students murdered 13 other students and teachers at Columbine High School. -
Y2K
Along with the rest of the world, the United States prepared for the possible effects of the Y2K bug in computers, which was feared destined to cause computers to become inoperable and wreak havoc -
Welcome George W. Bush
First inauguration of George W. Bush: George W. Bush was inaugurated the forty-third President of the United States -
9/11
September 11 terrorist attacks: Nineteen terrorists hijacked four planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, and an open field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing 2,996 people and injuring over 6,000 -
War in Afghanistan
The United States launched an invasion of Afghanistan -
Patriot Act
The USA PATRIOT Act, increasing law enforcement agencies' ability to conduct searches in cases of suspected terrorism, was signed into law -
Focusing on the Homeland
The United States Department of Homeland Security was created -
Saddam Hussein Captured
In Iraq, deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was captured by United States special forces -
Bush is Back
U.S. presidential election, 2004; President George W. Bush was reelected -
Hurricane Katrina
A hurricane devastated the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama coastlines killing at least 1,836 people and causing $81 billion in damage -
Virginia Tech Massacre
A South Korean student shot and killed thirty-two other students and professors before killing himself. -
Truly Historic
U.S. presidential election, 2008: Barack Obama was elected the forty-fourth President of the United States. Becomes first African-American President -
Osama Bin-Laden
Al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden was killed by United States forces in Abbottabad, Pakistan. -
Free Fallin'
Major United States stock market indices dropped in value by some two and a half trillion dollars. -
Hurricane Sandy
A devastating hurricane wreaks havoc for the Eastern United States coast. There were many states severely impacted by the hurricane, especially New York and New Jersey, which took a direct hit from the storm. -
Barack "2 Terms" Obama Reelected
United States presidential election, 2012: Barack Obama is reelected as president. -
Boston Marathon Bombings
Two pressure cooker bombs explode during the Boston Marathon -
1 World Trade Center
New building, 1 World Trade Center, opens in New York City. -
Welcome Back Cuba
President Obama announces a restoration of full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time since 1961. -
2015 Baltimore Protests
Protests and rioting occur in Baltimore, Maryland after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. -
Obergefell v. Hodges
Gay marriage is fully legalized in all 50 states. -
Donald Trump Wins Presidential Election
Donald Trump wins the 2016 presidential election and becomes the forty-fifth president of the United States. -
Donald Trump Sworn in as 45th President
Inauguration of Donald Trump, Donald Trump is inaugurated as the forty-fifth president of the United States
