Timeline: Civics

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

The 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.

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 attack against targets in the United States. The coordinated attacks killed 2,977 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.