1250 AD - 2020 AD Timeline

  • 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    Began in 1215 when King John signed Magna Carta; Moved from rule of man to rule of law; Outlined individual rights which king could not violate; Included taxation and trial provisions.
  • Jamestown House of Burgesses

    Jamestown House of Burgesses
  • Mayflower Compact

    Mayflower Compact
    a set of rules for self-governance established by the English settlers who traveled to the New World on the Mayflower.
  • Petition of Right

    Petition of Right
    Required monarchs to obtain Parliamentary approval before new taxes; Government could not unlawfully imprison people or establish military rule during times of peace.
  • English Bill of Rights

    English Bill of Rights
    Guaranteed free speech and protection from cruel and unusual punishment.
  • Sugar Act

    Sugar Act
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    First direct tax on paper goods and legal documents; Stamp Act Congress met to protest the tax and it was repealed.
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    British soldiers fired into crowd; 5 colonists died.
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    Revolutionaries dumped British Tea into the harbor.
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    Quartering of British troops.
  • Articles of Confederation

    Articles of Confederation
    First National Government; Delegates aimed to have a confederation in which colonies kept their “sovereignty, freedom, and independence.”; Ratification delayed by argument over who would control western lands.
  • Shays Rebelion

    Shays Rebelion
    Massachusetts farmers rebelled over prospect of losing land; Farmers attacked courthouses to keep judges from foreclosing on farms; Stormed military arsenal.
  • Northwest Ordinance

    Northwest Ordinance
    Established a plan for settling the Northwest Territory; Included disputed lands; Created system for admitting states to the Union; Banned slavery in the territory; Guided nation’s western expansion.
  • The Constitutional Convention

    The Constitutional Convention
    Drafting a New Constitution.
  • Judiciary Act

    Judiciary Act
    Established a Three-tiered Judicial Structure
    1. District courts
    2. Circuit courts
    3. Supreme Court
  • Federalist paper Gazette of the U.S. published

    Federalist paper Gazette of the U.S. published
  • Dual Federalism

    Both state and national governments were equal authorities operating within their own spheres of influence; Strict reading; National government only had powers listed in Constitution.
    (Enumerated Powers)
  • Whigs countered with National Gazette

    Whigs countered with National Gazette
  • Marbury vs Madison

    Marbury vs Madison
    Power of Judicial review/
  • 12th Amendment

    12th Amendment
    Allows the president to choose who the vice president is.
  • McCulloch vs Maryland

    McCulloch vs Maryland
    One of the first and most important Supreme court cases.
  • Gibbons vs Ogden

    Gibbons vs Ogden
    Right of a state legislature to award a monopoly to operate a steamship line between NY and NJ; Court said only Congress has the right to regulate commerce between states.
  • Seneca Falls Convention

    Seneca Falls Convention
    First national woman's rights convention in the US​. Called for equal rights in voting, education, and property​.
  • Dred Scott vs Sanford

    Dred Scott vs Sanford
    Dred Scott​- Slave who sued for his and his family's freedom after being taken to a free state​. Court said that Scott, as an African-American and previously property, was not a citizen. Gave him no legal standing to sue​. Called the “greatest disaster” of the Supreme Court​.
  • Morrill Act

    Morrill Act
    Granted large tracts of land to states; states sold land and used money for colleges.
  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Chinese Exclusion Act
    Ended Chinese immigration to the US.
  • 17th Amendment

    17th Amendment
    Direct election of senators.
  • 16th Amendment

    16th Amendment
    Gave Congress authority to set a federal income tax.
  • Radios

    Radios
    Radio became the first form of electronic media​ form of entertainment
  • Native Americans are granted citizenship

    Native Americans are granted citizenship
  • Period: to

    Cooperative Federalism

    States and national governments worked together to deal with the Great Depression; Many cases about FDR's New Deal reached the Supreme Court.
  • United States vs Miller

    United States vs Miller
    Ruled 2nd Amendment does not protect the right to have all types of weapons.
  • Minersville School District vs Gobitits

    Minersville School District vs Gobitits
    The Supreme Court ruled that a child could be expelled for refusing to salute the American flag or recite the pledge (these actions violated the child’s religious beliefs)
  • United States vs Darby

    United States vs Darby
    Upheld Fair Labor Standards Act; Commerce Clause allows Congress to regulate employment conditions​.
  • Executive Order 9066

    Executive Order 9066
    FDR required all people of Japanese descent on the West Coast to report to "War Relocation Centers" (internment camps)​.
    120,000 left their homes and businesses and 80,000 remained in camps until the war was over.​
  • West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

    West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette
    The court reversed itself and decided unity was not a sufficient reason to overrule religious beliefs.
    1943
  • Korematsu v. the United States

    Korematsu v. the United States
    Upheld involuntary internment of ethnically Japanese American citizens​.
  • TV

    TV
    Television replaced radio as most influential electronic media​
  • Brown v. Board

    Brown v. Board
    Ruled segregation is illegal​; "Separate is inherently unequal."​
  • Edwards v. South Carolina

    Edwards v. South Carolina
    187 African-American students gathered at the state capitol to protest racial injustice; Students did not end the protest when police told them to and were arrested; Court said the state had no authority to disperse the students, as they were protesting legally.
  • Equal Pay Act

    Equal Pay Act
    Established equal pay for men and women.
  • Great Society

    Government program to eliminate poverty and social inequality; Johnson created creative federalism, which released national funds to achieve national goals.
  • Civil Rights Act

    Civil Rights Act
    Outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
  • Miranda v. Arizona

    Miranda v. Arizona
    Expanded rights of people accused of crimes​.
  • Loving V. Virginia

    Loving V. Virginia
    Struck down all state laws banning interracial marriage​.
  • Age Discrimination in Employment Act

    Age Discrimination in Employment Act
    Protects applicants and employees of 40+ years old from discrimination based on age in hiring, promotion, discharge, compensation, privileges, etc. of employment.
  • Tinker Vs Des Moines

    Tinker Vs Des Moines
    Schools couldn’t prevent students from protesting the Vietnam War​.
  • War Powers Resolution

    War Powers Resolution
    President must consult with Congress before sending troops; Congress can force the president to end use of military with a concurrent resolution.
  • New Federalism

    New Federalism
    Returned some authority to state governments
  • Harlow vs Fitzgerald

    Harlow vs Fitzgerald
    Established the rationale for qualified immunity
  • Tennessee vs Garner

    Limited police use of lethal force
  • Graham vs Connor

    Juries must consider if the officer believed force was reasonable
  • Americans with Disabilities Act

    Americans with Disabilities Act
    Prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public.
  • Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996​

    Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996​
  • Homeland Security

    Homeland Security
    Reorganization of agencies already in place; Law enforcement; Border security; Transportation