Change in Government in Amercian History

The Mayflower Compact

Nov 21, 1620

It was the first governing document that ruled the Plymouth colony. This was the earliest fom of government from the colonists.

The Toleration Act was passed

Apr 21, 1649

The purpose of this act was to mandate religous tolerance for Christians. This was act was important because it was one of the first acts on religous freedom in North America.

First Continental Congress

Sep 6, 1774

Representatives from th colonies except from Georgia to join together and to talk about colonial rights and to understand about the greivances of the colonies by the British.

Second Continental Congress

May 1, 1775

At this meeting the Continental Army was created. The congress picked George Washington to be the siupreme commander.

Declaration Of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

This document was declaring the freedom all the 13 American colonies by the British. This document freed all government from the British governmenet.

Articles Of Confederation

Mar 1, 1781

This was the first constituition written. It created a loose conferderation of soverign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.

Constitution

Sep 17, 1787

This was a document replacing the Articles of Confederation because it was a failed document. This added the idea of stonger centralized government.

Bill of Rights

Dec 15, 1791

These are the first 10 amendments to the United States.

Congress bans the African Slave trade

Mar 2, 1807

The result of the this ban is that it started creating the division between the North and the South because the North was not in favor of having the slave trade while the South wanted to keep it going because it increased the agriculture. These types of restrictions is what led the South to rebel and secede and make their own government.

Missouri Compromise

Mar 3, 1820

These were one of the beginning compromises regarding slavery. This one was about banning slavery in the Louisana territory north of the 36' 30" degree line. Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state.

Kansas Nebraska Act

May 30, 1854

This act totally cancels out the Missouri Compromise and it was to allow the states Kansas and Nebraska and it allowed the settlers to rule through popular sovereignty. This led to things like Bleeding Kansas that changed what kind of laws like these that could past.

13th Amendment is Passed

Dec 6, 1865

This amendment changed the lives of African Americans in the United States. This amendment which banned slavery and made the the whites free all of their slaves which hurt the economy of the South tremendously.

Plessy VS. Ferguson Ruling

May 18, 1896

This ruling made the decison of having a "seperate but equal" on railroads which led to the devopment of Jim Crow laws in the South.

Prohibition of Alcohol

Jan 16, 1919

The government doing this resulted in creating the first mafias in the U.S like Al Capone and people immporting alcohol illegaly. Th government in fact that putting this into effect there would be benefits like reducing the crime rate and rising the economy but in fact it did opposite.As a result of this the government to end prohibition in 1933

19th Amendment

Aug 18, 1920

This amendment changed America because now that every person who is citizen rather it be male or female or black or white can now vote under law. People who still did not support seeing African Americans vote would do things like give them a literacy test and make it hard to past so they would not be able to vote.

Then Social Security Act is Passed

Aug 14, 1935

This act that was passes pernmitting of benefits for the elderly and people with a disability. This act was passed duribng the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt and it is important because it created many programs for the people with needs.

Brown VS. Board of Education

May 17, 1954

This court case allowed for children schools in a intergrated enviroment. This changed policies socially. The court ruled in favor in intergrating students.

The Civil Rights Act

Jul 2, 1964

This ended segragtion in public places nd banned employment discrimination. This was first proposed by John F. Kennedy but it did not get passed until Johnson's presidency. Having this act passed allowed to live in the world that we live now where everyone is intergrated.

Cold War Ends

Dec 26, 1991

The end of this war relieved many Americans because they now don't have to worry about bombs dropping and the spread of Communism. Ronald Regan was the president during the time while the Cold War was ending. This has an effect on government that because it was Regan's ideas and treaties that allowed for the Cold War to end.

9/11

Sep 11, 2001

This event forever changed the governent because the government made stricter laws about traveling over plane. There was a lot more restrictions put in the airport and made security stricter.

President Obama was elected as first Black President of the U.S

Nov 4, 2008

This was a major change in government beause this is the first African American president of the United States. This is importan in Government because all the presidents before were white