Government Timeline 4th Period

  • Magna Carta
    Jun 15, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Established many fundamental concepts later found in the US constitution.
  • Jamestown

    Jamestown

    First permanent English settlement in North America.
  • House Of Burgesses

    House Of Burgesses

    First colonial legislature is established in Viriginia.
  • Plymouth Colony Massachusetts

    Plymouth Colony Massachusetts

    Arrival of the Pilgrims to New England leads to the establishment of the Mayflower Compact creating a social contract for governing.
  • Proclamation Line of 1763

    Proclamation Line of 1763

    forbid British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains to manage new territories and prevent conflict with Native Americans. This led to the greater involvement of the British government in America.
  • Sugar Act

    Sugar Act

    Tax on sugar imported to the American colonies and was viewed as a rights violation by the colonists.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act

    Tax on documents and other goods that led to widespread protests and grievances being sent to king George III. Parliament repeals act but reasserts control. Beginning of the "No Taxation Without Representation" idea.
  • Articles of Confederation Ratified

    Articles of Confederation Ratified

    States approve the articles and becomes the first constitution of the US.
  • Constitutional Convention

    Constitutional Convention

    Representatives from many states set out to rewrite the articles and later led to the creation of a new constitution.
  • Three-Fifths Compromise

    Three-Fifths Compromise

    Resolved a dispute between Southern and Northern states over whether and how enslaved people should be counted when determining a state's total population for both legislative representation in the House of Representatives and federal taxation.
  • Great Compromise

    Great Compromise

    established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.
  • U.S. Constitution Ratified

    U.S. Constitution Ratified

    9 states ratify the constitution and becomes the law of the land and provides the framework for the entire US government.
  • Presidential Election of 1789

    Presidential Election of 1789

    First Presidential election where George Washington was unanimously elected president.
  • Federalist Party Formed

    Federalist Party Formed

    Known as first political party, founded by Alexander Hamilton.
  • Bill of Rights Adopted

    Bill of Rights Adopted

    First ten amendments known together as the bill of rights is adopted. This guarantees many freedoms for the people from the government we have to this day.
  • Democratic-Republican Party Founded

    Democratic-Republican Party Founded

    This group was organized in opposition to the Federalists by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
  • 11th Amendment Ratified

    11th Amendment Ratified

    Eleventh amendment is passed which protects states from certain lawsuits from citizens that don't live in the state they are suing.
  • First Peaceful Transfer of Presidency

    First Peaceful Transfer of Presidency

    After the close election of 1800, the change of party in the presidency established an important precedent.
  • Marbury v. Madison

    Marbury v. Madison

    Established the Supreme Court's power of judicial review.
  • Louisiana Purchase

    Louisiana Purchase

    The Louisiana Purchase dramatically expanded U.S. territory and federal power, challenging Jefferson's strict constructionism by proving the need for implied powers to govern vast new lands. Increased Federal control.
  • 12th Amendment Ratified

    12th Amendment Ratified

    Amendment made because of the election of 1800 and now makes it so the vice president and president are voted for together instead of the old first and second place system.
  • Monroe Doctrine

    Monroe Doctrine

    Warns European powers against further colonization or interference in the Western Hemisphere, establishing it as a foundational U.S. foreign policy principle.
  • Dred Scott v. Sandford

    Dred Scott v. Sandford

    Established African Americans as noncitizens and allowed slavery in the territories.
  • Emancipation Proclamation

    Emancipation Proclamation

    Declared all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory to be free. It shifted the war's focus to include the abolition of slavery as a central moral objective and allowed for the enlistment of African American soldiers into the Union Army.
  • 13th Amendment Ratified

    13th Amendment Ratified

    Passed after civil war and abolished slavery. First of the reconstruction amendments.
  • 14th Amendment Ratified

    14th Amendment Ratified

    Amendment made anyone born on US soil a citizen so former slaves could be citizens and gave all citizens equal protections.
  • 15th Amendment Passed

    15th Amendment Passed

    Allowed any man regardless of color or race to vote. Would later lead to state laws making it difficult.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Plessy v. Ferguson

    Established the concept of separate but equal, later overturned by Brown v. Board.
  • 16th Amendment Ratified

    16th Amendment Ratified

    Allowed the federal government to collect income tax to make money.
  • 17th Amendment Ratified

    17th Amendment Ratified

    Allowed for the people to vote for their senators. States chose them before then.
  • 18th Amendment Ratified

    18th Amendment Ratified

    Prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States.
  • 19th Amendment Ratified

    19th Amendment Ratified

    Gave women the right vote.
  • Stock Market Crash

    Stock Market Crash

    Led to the Great Depression and eventually paved the way for FDR's new deal.
  • Start of the New Deal

    Start of the New Deal

    FDR's new deal saw increase in the federal government's involvement in the lives of Americans and the economy as it tries to soften the blow of the Great Depression.
  • 20th Amendment Ratified

    20th Amendment Ratified

    Changed President's Inauguration date and start date for congress.
  • 21st Amendment Ratified

    21st Amendment Ratified

    Repealed the 18th Amendment (Prohibition).
  • Executive Order 9066

    Executive Order 9066

    Authorized the military to create exclusion zones, leading to the forced incarceration of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, mostly U.S. citizens, from the West Coast into concentration camps during WWII.
  • Truman Doctrine

    Truman Doctrine

    Established policy of containment in the early stages of the cold war.
  • 22nd Amendment Ratified

    22nd Amendment Ratified

    Established presidential term limits to 2 terms.
  • Brown v. Board of Education

    Brown v. Board of Education

    Declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
  • 23rd Amendment Ratified

    23rd Amendment Ratified

    Granted D.C. residents ability to vote in presidential elections with 3 electoral votes.
  • Gideon v. Wainwright

    Gideon v. Wainwright

    Guaranteed the right to an attorney for indigent defendants in felony cases.
  • 24th Amendment Ratified

    24th Amendment Ratified

    Abolished poll taxes in federal elections.
  • Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution

    Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution

    It was prompted by alleged attacks on U.S. destroyers by North Vietnamese forces in the Gulf of Tonkin and authorized the president to use military force in Southeast Asia.
  • Miranda v. Arizona

    Miranda v. Arizona

    Established the now well-known Miranda rights stated now before police questioning.
  • 25th Amendment Ratified

    25th Amendment Ratified

    Established the line of succession for the presidency after the vice president.
  • 26th Amendment Ratified

    26th Amendment Ratified

    Set voting age in the US to 18.
  • War Powers Act/Resolution

    War Powers Act/Resolution

    Limited the president's ability to commit U.S. forces to armed conflict without congressional approval in response to concerns from the Vietnam War.
  • Nixon Resignation

    Nixon Resignation

    Nixon becomes the only president to ever resign facing impeachment after the Watergate Scandal.
  • 27th Amendment Ratified

    27th Amendment Ratified

    Made it so pay changes take effect after the next election and not immediately.
  • 2000 Election

    2000 Election

    The ultimate outcome was not known for over a month due to a prolonged dispute over the vote count in Florida, which was finally settled by the Supreme Court in the case of Bush v. Gore on December 12, 2000. This case made many changes in how elections are now run.
  • 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

    9/11 Terrorist Attacks

    Attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, led to increased security, expanded federal power, and caused the War on Terror.
  • Invasion of Afghanistan

    Invasion of Afghanistan

    The U.S. invaded Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 attacks to target Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
  • USA Patriot Act

    USA Patriot Act

    The Act was created to help deter future terrorist attacks by expanding the authority of U.S. federal officials in direct response to 9/11.
  • Invasion of Iraq

    Invasion of Iraq

    The Bush administration claimed Iraq possessed WMDs and supported terrorism, though these claims proved largely unfounded but led to the end of Hussein's regime.
  • Great Recession

    Great Recession

    lead to job losses in public sectors, and increasing demand for safety net programs like Unemployment Insurance (UI) and TANF, while also spurring large-scale federal interventions like the ARRA stimulus package and bailouts for financial institutions.
  • Obama Sworn in to the Presidency

    Obama Sworn in to the Presidency

    Obama became the 44th president and first African American President.
  • Citizens united v. federal election commission

    Citizens united v. federal election commission

    Ruled that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited.
  • Obergefell v. Hodges

    Obergefell v. Hodges

    landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution.
  • Covid-19 Pandemic

    Covid-19 Pandemic

    Covid pandemic led to stimulus checks and tighter government control to prevent spread.