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1774 - The First Continental Congress meets in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 4.
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1775 - The Second Continental Congress has its first meeting on May 10, 1775 at Philadelphia's State House.
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1776- Declaration of Independence Signed
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1776- Declaration of Independence Signed
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1777 - The Articles of Confederation are written and approved by the Second Continental Congress.
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1781 - The Articles of Confederation are ratified by the original thirteen states.
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1791-The Bill of Rights is ratified and becomes a part of the Constitution.
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1791-The Bill of Rights is ratified and becomes a part of the Constitution.
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1861 - The Civil War begins. Several states secede and form the Confederacy.
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1861 - The Civil War begins. Several states secede and form the Confederacy.
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1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified guaranteeing the right of all men to vote regardless of race.
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1870 - The Fifteenth Amendment is ratified guaranteeing the right of all men to vote regardless of race.
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1913 - The Sixteenth Amendment is passed allowing the government to impose an income tax.
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1913 - The Sixteenth Amendment is passed allowing the government to impose an income tax.
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1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment is passed giving women the right to vote.
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1920 - The Nineteenth Amendment is passed giving women the right to vote.
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1951- The Twenty-second Amendment is passed putting a term limit on the office of president of two terms.
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1954 - The Supreme Court rules that segregation in the schools is unconstitutional in the case of Brown v. Board of Education.
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1964 - The Civil Rights Act is passed.