-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a document guaranteeing English political liberties. -
Jamestown House of Burgesses
The lower house of the colonial Virginia legislature. -
Mayflower Compact
Each charter guaranteed colonists the "rights of Englishmen." -
Petition of Right
A legal petition formerly used to obtain redress as possession or restitution of property, from the British Crown for breach of contract or to remedy manifest injustice. -
English Bill of Rights
Gave freedom of speech and protection from cruel and unusual punishment. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act reduced the rate of tax on molasses from six pence to three pence per gallon, while Grenville took measures that the duty be strictly enforced. -
Stamp Act
A tax on the legal recognition of documents. -
Boston Massacre
Arising from the resentment of Boston colonists toward British troops quartered in the city, in which the troops fired on the mob and killed several of people. -
Boston Tea Party
American colonists, frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
Quartering of British troops. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was the formal proclamation that the colonies would now be an independent country separate from Great Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
The original constitution of the US, ratified in 1781, which was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789. -
Shay's Rebellion
Massachusetts farmers rebelled over prospect of losing land; Farmers attacked courthouses to keep judges from foreclosing on farms; Stormed military arsenal. -
Northwest Ordinance
It provided a method for admitting new states to the Union from the territory, and listed a bill of rights guaranteed in the territory. -
Constitution
This founding document, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. -
Federalist Paper
The Federalist Papers is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius" to promote the ratification of the United States Constitution. -
Judiciary Act
An Act to Establish the Judicial Courts of the United States. -
Dual Federalism
A political arrangement in which power is divided between the federal and state governments in clearly defined terms, with state governments exercising those powers accorded to them without interference from the federal government. -
Whigs Countered with National Gazette
The National Gazette was a Democratic-Republican partisan newspaper that was first published on October 31. -
Whiskey Rebellion
The Whiskey Rebellion was a violent tax protest. -
Marbury VS Madison
Power of judicial review. -
12th Amendment
Allows the president to choose the Vice President. -
Louisiana Purchase
Provided a powerful impetus to westward expansion, and confirmed the doctrine of implied powers of the federal Constitution. -
McCulloch v. Maryland
The United States Congress incorporated a federal Bank of the United States through a legislative act. The State of Maryland imposed a tax on any bank operating within the state that did not possess a state charter. -
gibbons vs ogden
Right of a state legislature to award a monopoly to operate a steamship line between NY and NJ. -
Seneca Falls Convention
First national women's rights convention. -
Dred Scott VS Sanford
The Dred Scott case, also known as Dred Scott v. Sandford, was a decade-long fight for freedom by a Black enslaved man named Dred Scott. -
Morrill Act
An act donating public lands to the several States and Territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the Mechanic arts. -
13th amendment
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. -
14th amendment
Granted citizenship to all persons "born or naturalized in the United States -
15th amendment
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
Ended Chinese immigration. -
16th Amendment
Gave congress the right to set a federal income tax. -
17th Amendment
Removed from state legislatures the power to choose U.S. Senators and gave that power directly to voters in each state. -
18th amendment
United States imposing the federal prohibition of alcohol. -
19th amendment
Women's rights to vote. -
"The Radio"
The radio became the first form of electronic media. -
Native Americans Granted Citizenship
Approved on June 2, 1924, this act of Congress granted citizenship to any Native Americans born within the United States -
20th amendment
Sets the inauguration date for new presidential terms and the date for new sessions of Congress -
US vs Miller
A case in which the Court found that owning a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun was not protected under the Second Amendment. -
Minersville school district vs gobitis
The Court decided 8-1 in favor of the school policy, ruling that the government could require respect for the flag as a key symbol of national unity and a means of preserving national security. -
US vs Darby
Upheld Labor Standards Act. -
Executive Order
Order authorized the evacuation of all persons deemed a threat to national security from the West Coast to relocation centers further inland. -
West Virginia State Board Of Education
A landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court holding that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment protects students from being forced to salute the American flag or say the Pledge of Allegiance in public school. -
Korematsu VS THE US
A case in which the Court held that compulsory exclusion of citizens during times of war is justified in order to reduce the risk of espionage. -
TV replaced the RADIO
The 1950s signaled a change in the Golden Age of radio, with the development and quick popularity of the home television set. -
Equal Pay Act
Established equal pay for men and women. -
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson -
Edwards VS SC
The Supreme Court ruled that South Carolina had violated students' First Amendment rights of peaceable assembly, speech, and petition when the police dispersed a peaceful protest against segregation. -
Civil Rights Act
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. -
Miranda VS Arizona
Expanded rights of people accused of crimes. -
Age Discrimination Act
A US labor law that forbids employment discrimination. -
Loving VS Virginia
A landmark civil rights decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violate the Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. -
Tinker VS Des Moines
A landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court that defined First Amendment rights of students in U.S. public schools. -
War Powers Resolution
A congressional resolution designed to limit the U.S. president's ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad.” As part of our system of governmental “checks and balances,” the law aims to check the executive branch's power -
War Powers Resolution
A congressional resolution designed to limit the U.S. president's ability to initiate or escalate military actions abroad.” As part of our system of governmental “checks and balances,” the law aims to check the executive branch's power. -
Harlow VS Fitzgerald
Established the rationale for qualified immunity. -
Graham VS Connor
A United States Supreme Court case in which the Court determined that an objective reasonableness standard should apply to a civilian's claim that law enforcement. -
Tennessee VS Garner
Limited police use of lethal force... -
Americans with Disabilities Act
A civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. -
Illegal Immigration
Under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, individuals residing in the country without legal permission for between 180 days and 365 days were prohibited from reentering legally for three years. -
Homeland Security
The Homeland Security Act provides the secretary of Homeland Security with the authority to direct and control investigations that require access to information needed to investigate and prevent terrorism
