Timeline: Civics Timeline

Apr 19, 1775

"Shot heard around the world"

The first shots of the Revolutionary War are fired at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts.

Period: Mar 1, 1781 to Mar 4, 1789

Articles of Confederation

The United States' first constitution which created a single-house Congress with limited authority. Provided a weak federal government.

Sep 3, 1783

Treaty of Paris

Official end of the Revolutionary War.

Period: May 25, 1787 to Sep 17, 1787

Constitutional Convention

Delegates met in Philadelphia to try to revise the Articles of Confederation into a more effective government. Delegates decided to discard the Articles of Confederation and start over to create a stronger Federal Government.

Sep 17, 1787

U.S.Constitution signed

Signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 by 55 delegates in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after weeks of planning, negotiations and compromise.

Jun 21, 1788

U.S. Constitution Ratified

The U.S. Constitution is approved by 9 states and therefore became the law of the land.

Sep 11, 2001

Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.

19 terrorists from the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. The coordinated attacks killed 2,977 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.