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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
A document guaranteeing English political liberties that was drafted at Runnymede, a meadow by the River Thames, and signed by King John on June 15, 1215, under pressure from his rebellious barons. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, as well as their respective allies. In the terms of the treaty, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively ending any foreign military threat to the British colonies there. -
Lee Resolution
The Lee Resolution (also known as "The Resolution for Independence") was the formal assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776 which resolved that the Thirteen Colonies in America were "free and independent States", separated from the British Empire. -
United States Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. -
Original Design of the Great Seal of the United States (1782)
Charles Thomson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, designed the 1782 seal to symbolize our country's strength, unity, and independence. The olive branch and the arrows held in the eagle's talons denote the power of peace and war. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance, enacted July 13, 1787, was an organic act of the Congress of the Confederation of the United States. -
Constitution of The United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. This founding document, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. -
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal to the United States Constitutional Convention for the creation of a supreme national government with three branches and a bicameral legislature. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
The Federalist Papers
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. -
Twenty Seventh Amendment
Prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the current session. -
Dual federalism
Dual federalism, also known as layer-cake federalism or divided sovereignty, is 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. -
New Federalism
New Federalism is a political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states. -
President George Washington's First Inaugural Speech (1789)
Although not required by the Constitution, George Washington presented the first Presidential inaugural address. -
Federal Judiciary Act
One of the first acts of the new Congress was to establish a Federal court system through the Judiciary Act signed by President Washington. -
Third Amendment
Forbids the forcible housing of military personnel in a citizen's home during peacetime and requires the process to be “prescribed by law” in times of war. -
Fifth Amendment
Right to remain silent -
Seventh Amendment
Civil cases, or lawsuits based on disagreements between people or businesses, have a right to be decided by a jury in federal court -
Eleventh Amendment
The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State -
Second Amendment
The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. -
First Amendment
It guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individual's religious practices. -
Fourth Amendment
Protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. -
Sixth Amendment
The rights of criminal defendants, including the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay, the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, and the right to know who your accusers are and the nature of the charges and evidence against you. -
Eighth Amendment
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted -
Ninth Amendment
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people -
Tenth Amendment
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people -
Twelfth Amendment
The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves -
Thirteenth 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. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation -
Fourteenth Amendment
Protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. -
Patent for Cotton Gin (1794)
Designed to separate cotton fiber from seed, Whitney's cotton gin, for which he received a patent on March 14, 1794, introduced a new, profitable technology to agricultural production in America -
President George Washington's Farewell Address
In his farewell Presidential address, George Washington advised American citizens to view themselves as a cohesive unit and avoid political parties and issued a special warning to be wary of attachments and entanglements with other nations. -
Alien and Sedition Acts
Passed in preparation for an anticipated war with France, the Alien and Sedition Acts tightened restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limited speech critical of the Government. -
Marbury v. Madison
Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States -
McCulloch v. Maryland
McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that defined the scope of the U.S. Congress's legislative power and how it relates to the powers of American state legislatures. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was articulated in President James Monroe's seventh annual message to Congress. The European powers, according to Monroe, were obligated to respect the Western Hemisphere as the United States' sphere of interest. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
Officially titled "An Act to Organize the Territories of Nebraska and Kansas," this act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had outlawed slavery in the Louisiana territories and reopened the national struggle over slavery in the western territories. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393, was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court in which the Court held that the United States Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship. -
Fourteenth Amendment
Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. Including former enslaved people and guaranteed all citizens equal protection of the laws. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890
The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a United States antitrust law which prescribes the rule of free competition among those engaged in commerce. It was passed by Congress and is named for Senator John Sherman, its principal author. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in quality, a doctrine that came to be known as "separate but equal" -
Sixteenth Amendment
Allows the federal United States government to levy (collect) an income tax from all Americans. -
Seventeenth Amendment
Provides for the election of senators by replacing the phrase chosen by the Legislature thereof” with elected by the people thereof. -
Eighteenth Amendment
Prohibiting the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes. -
Schenck v. United States
Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47, was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court concerning enforcement of the Espionage Act of 1917 during World War I. -
Nineteenth 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 sex. -
Twenty First Amendment
The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. -
Korematsu v. United States
Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214, was a landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court to uphold the exclusion of Japanese Americans from the West Coast Military Area during World War II. -
Twenty Second Amendment
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. -
Fiscal federalism
Fiscal federalism refers to how federal, state, and local governments share funding and administrative responsibilities within our federal system. The funding for these programs comes from taxes and fees. -
Mapp v. Ohio
Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the exclusionary rule, which prevents prosecutors from using evidence in court that was obtained. -
Twenty Third Amendment
American citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for presidential electors, who in turn vote in the Electoral College for President and Vice President. In layperson's terms, the Amendment means that residents of the District are able to vote for President and Vice President. -
Twenty Fourth Amendment
Citizens in some states had to pay a fee to vote in a national election. This fee was called a poll tax. On January 23, 1964, the United States ratified the 24th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting any poll tax in elections for federal officials. -
Gideon v. Wainwright
Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires U.S. states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own -
Great Society
The Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the United States launched by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964–65. The term was first coined during a 1964 commencement address by President Lyndon B. The Great Society in scope and sweep resembled the New Deal domestic agenda of Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Twenty Fifth Amendment
The United States Constitution says that if the President becomes unable to do his job, the Vice President becomes the President or Acting President -
Miranda v. Arizona
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution restricts prosecutors from using a person's -
Twenty Sixth Amendment
The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. -
Loving v. Virginia
Loving v. Virginia, 388 U.S. 1, was 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. Constitution
