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Jamestown Founded
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed in 1620 by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, established a self-governing agreement based on democratic principles for the Plymouth Colony. -
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King George's War
King George's War, fought from 1744 to 1748, was a conflict primarily between Britain and France over colonial territories in North America and saw significant involvement from Native American tribes. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a pivotal conflict in North America during the mid-18th century, primarily fought between the British and French, with Native American allies on both sides, over control of territory and trade in the Ohio River Valley. -
Battle of Quebec
The Battle of Quebec, fought in 1759 during the French and Indian War, was a decisive engagement where British forces, led by General James Wolfe, defeated French forces under General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, resulting in British control over Quebec City and ultimately leading to France's loss of its North American territories. -
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Pontiacs Uprising
Pontiac's Uprising, occurring in 1763-1766, was a Native American rebellion led by Ottawa Chief Pontiac against British control in the Great Lakes region following the French and Indian War, marked by sieges and attacks on British forts, ultimately leading to the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and increased tensions between Native Americans and British colonists. -
Proclamation of 1764
The Proclamation of 1764 was an extension of British policy aimed at controlling colonial expansion and managing relations with Native American tribes after the French and Indian War, prohibiting settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains and requiring colonial licenses for trade with Native Americans, further antagonizing colonists and laying the groundwork for future tensions leading to the American Revolution. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre, occurring on March 5, 1770, was a deadly confrontation between British soldiers and a crowd of colonists in Boston, Massachusetts, resulting in the deaths of five civilians, widely seen as a pivotal event in escalating tensions between Britain and its American colonies, further fueling anti-British sentiment and contributing to the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party, taking place on December 16, 1773, was a protest by American colonists against British taxation policies, where colonists, disguised as Native Americans, dumped an entire shipment of tea into Boston Harbor to oppose the Tea Act, symbolizing resistance to British authority and contributing to the intensification of tensions that led to the American Revolutionary War. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress, convened in Philadelphia in 1774, was a gathering of delegates from twelve of the thirteen American colonies in response to the Intolerable Acts and other grievances against British rule, aiming to coordinate colonial resistance, petition for redress of grievances, and assert colonial rights, marking a significant step towards colonial unity and the eventual declaration of independence. -
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Revolutionary War
The Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, was a conflict fought from 1775 to 1783 between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies, sparked by growing colonial discontent over British policies and culminating in the colonies' declaration of independence in 1776, resulting in the establishment of the United States of America as a sovereign nation. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, by the Second Continental Congress, proclaimed the thirteen American colonies' formal separation from Great Britain, asserting the inherent rights of individuals to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and laying the philosophical groundwork for the establishment of the United States as an independent nation. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781, established the first form of government for the United States, creating a loose alliance of thirteen sovereign states with a weak central authority, lacking the power to levy taxes or regulate commerce effectively, ultimately replaced by the United States Constitution due to its limitations in governing the nation effectively. -
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Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion, occurring in 1786-1787, was an armed uprising in Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays, protesting economic injustices and high taxes, highlighting the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and ultimately contributing to the call for a stronger federal government. -
Washington's Election
George Washington's unanimous election as the first President of the United States in 1789 marked a pivotal moment in American history, setting a precedent for peaceful transitions of power and establishing the framework for the nation's executive branch. -
Constitution Formally Adopted
The Constitution was formally adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, and ratified by the required nine states to become the supreme law of the United States, providing the framework for its government and delineating the rights of its citizens. -
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French Revolution
The French Revolution, spanning from 1789 to 1799, was a tumultuous period of social and political upheaval in France, characterized by the overthrow of the monarchy, the rise of radical ideologies, and profound changes in society, ultimately leading to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. -
Bill Of Rights Adopted
The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, was formally adopted on December 15, 1791, guaranteeing fundamental rights and liberties to American citizens, including freedoms of speech, religion, and the press, as well as protections against government infringement on individual rights. -
Federalists vs Democratic Republicans
In 1792, Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, favored a strong central government and closer ties with Britain, while Democratic-Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, advocated for states' rights, agrarian interests, and closer relations with France. -
Neutrality Proclamation
The Proclamation of Neutrality was a formal announcement issued by U.S. President George Washington on April 22, 1793, that declared the nation neutral in the conflict between revolutionary France and Great Britain. -
Washington's Farewell Address
Washington's Farewell Address cautioned against entangling foreign alliances and emphasized the importance of national unity, virtuous leadership, and avoiding the dangers of political factions. -
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Adam's becomes President
John Adams was the second President of the United States, serving from 1797 to 1801, and a key figure in the American Revolutionary War and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence. -
Convention of 1800
The Convention of 1800 ended the undeclared naval war between the United States and France, marking a significant diplomatic resolution between the two nations. -
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War of 1812
The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in North America. -
Death of Federalists
The Federalists lost support because of their opposition to the War of 1812 and eventually disbanded. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise between free and slave states, and there was a line under Missouri and if a new state was under the line, it would be a slave stat, otherwise it would be a free state. Main was admitted as a free state and Missouri was a slave state. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine, first outlined in a speech to Congress in 1823, had President James Monroe warning European powers to not attempt further colonization, military intervention or other interference in the Western Hemisphere, stating that the United States would view any such interference as a potentially hostile act. -
The Split of the Republicans
The split of the Republicans into the Democratic Republicans and the National Republicans. -
Tariff of Abominations
The tariff of 1828 raised taxes on imported manufactures so as to reduce foreign competition with American manufacturing. Southerners, arguing that the tariff enhanced the interests of the Northern manufacturing industry at their expense, referred to it as the Tariff of Abominations. -
Rise of the Whig Party
The Whigs emerged in the 1830s in opposition to President Andrew Jackson, pulling together former members of the National Republican Party, the Anti-Masonic Party, and disaffected Democrats. -
Gag Resolution
It was a rule to forbid discussion of slavery from 1836 to 1844. -
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Mexican American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, was an invasion of Mexico by the United States Army from 1846 to 1848. -
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Free Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories of the United States. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the Mexican–American War. It was signed on 2 February 1848 in the town of Guadalupe Hidalgo. -
National Republicans become the present day Republicans
In 1854, the Republican Party was founded in the Northern United States by forces opposed to the expansion of slavery, ex-Whigs, and ex-Free Soilers. The Republican Party quickly became the principal opposition to the dominant Democratic Party and the briefly popular Know Nothing Party. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law by President Franklin Pierce. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state of Kansas. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott v. Sandford was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that held the U.S. Constitution did not extend American citizenship to people of black African descent, and therefore they could not enjoy the rights and privileges the Constitution conferred upon American citizens. -
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Civil War
The American Civil War was a conflict fought between the Union and the Confederacy from 1861 to 1865, primarily over issues of slavery and states' rights. Its impact reshaped the nation's political, social, and economic landscape for generations to come. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a historic executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War on January 1, 1863. It declared that all enslaved people in Confederate-held territory were to be set free. This landmark document transformed the Civil War into a struggle for freedom and equality, reshaping the course of American history. -
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Reconstruction
The Reconstruction era was a period in United States history following the American Civil War, dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of abolishing slavery and reintegrating the former Confederate States of America into the United States. -
13th Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. -
Lincoln Assassination
On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth while watching a play. -
14th Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to anyone born in the United States or who became a citizen of the country. This included African Americans and slaves who had been freed after the American Civil War. -
Fifteenth Amendment
The Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the federal government and each state from denying or abridging a citizen's right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." It was ratified on February 3, 1870, as the third and last of the Reconstruction Amendments. -
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Gilded Age
The definition of the Gilded Age is a time of great political corruption and wealth inequality in the late 1800s. The Gilded Age's history is characterized by rapid economic growth, a flood of immigration, and scandalous politics. -
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 was a financial crisis that triggered an economic depression in Europe and North America that lasted from 1873 to 1877 or 1879 in France and in Britain. In Britain, the Panic started two decades of stagnation known as the "Long Depression" that weakened the country's economic leadership. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Civil Rights Act of 1875, sometimes called the Enforcement Act or the Force Act, was a United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction era in response to civil rights violations against African Americans. -
Chinese Exclusion Act
In the spring of 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed by Congress and signed by President Chester A. Arthur. This act provided an absolute 10-year ban on Chinese laborers immigrating to the United States. -
Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
The Pendleton Act provided that federal government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams. The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law. -
Interstate Commerce Act
The Interstate Commerce Act addressed the problem of railroad monopolies by setting guidelines for how the railroads could do business. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 is a federal statute which prohibits activities that restrict interstate commerce and competition in the marketplace. It outlaws any contract, conspiracy, or combination of business interests in restraint of foreign or interstate trade. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling 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". -
Spanish - American War
The Spanish-American War (1898) was a conflict between the U.S. and Spain, ending with the loss of Spain's overseas empire and the U.S. emerging as a world power. -
Open Door Policy in China
The Open Door policy was a statement of principles initiated by the United States in 1899 and 1900. It called for protection of equal privileges for all countries trading with China and for the support of Chinese territorial and administrative integrity. -
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was an uprising against foreigners that occurred in China about 1900, begun by peasants but eventually supported by the government. A Chinese secret society known as the Boxers embarked on a violent campaign to drive all foreigners from China. Several countries sent troops to halt the attacks. -
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
While the Monroe Doctrine said European countries should stay out of Latin America, the Roosevelt Corollary took this further to say the United States had the right to exercise military force in Latin American countries to keep European countries out. -
Pure Food and Drug Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 prohibited the sale of misbranded or adulterated food and drugs in interstate commerce and laid a foundation for the nation's first consumer protection agency, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). -
Mann-Elkins Act
The Mann–Elkins Act, also called the Railway Rate Act of 1910, was a United States federal law that strengthened the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) over railroad rates. -
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Workers in the factory, many of whom were young women recently arrived from Europe, had little time or opportunity to escape. The rapidly spreading fire killed 146 workers. The building had only one fire escape, which collapsed during the rescue effort. Long tables and bulky machines trapped many of the victims. -
Woodrow Wilson's New Freedom
New Freedom was focused on three key areas; Tariff Reform, Banking Reform, and Trust-busting. Wilson wanted to create an economy that would be fair and equitable for all Americans. He thought for the economy to be truly free, the built-in advantages given to big businesses had to be eliminated. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Two shots in Sarajevo ignited the fires of war and drew Europe toward World War I. Just hours after narrowly escaping an assassin's bomb, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife, the Duchess of Hohenberg, are killed by Gavrilo Princip. -
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World War I
World War I was one of the great watersheds of 20th-century geopolitical history. It led to the fall of four great imperial dynasties (in Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey), resulted in the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, and, in its destabilization of European society, laid the groundwork for World War II. -
U.S. entry into World War I
The United States later declared war on German ally Austria-Hungary on December 7, 1917. Germany's resumption of submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in 1917 became the primary motivation behind Wilson's decision to lead the United States into World War I. -
Espionage Act of 1917
The Espionage Act of 1917 prohibited obtaining information, recording pictures, or copying descriptions of any information relating to the national defense with intent or reason to believe that the information may be used for the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation. -
Sedition Act of 1918
The Act made it a crime to convey information intended to interfere with the war effort. Later, the Sedition Act imposed harsh penalties for a wide range of dissenting speech, including speech abusing the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution, and the military. -
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was the primary treaty produced by the Paris Peace Conference at the end of World War I. It was signed on June 28, 1919, by the Allied and associated powers and by Germany in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles and went into effect on January 10, 1920. -
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First Red Scare
During the Red Scare of 1919-1920, many in the United States feared recent immigrants and dissidents, particularly those who embraced communist, socialist, or anarchist ideology. -
19th Amendment
Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. -
Teapot Dome Scandal
The Teapot Dome scandal was a bribery scandal involving the administration of United States President Warren G. Harding -
Emergency Quota Act
The Emergency Quota Act restricted the number of immigrants admitted from any country annually to 3% of the number of residents from that country living in the United States as of the 1910 Census. -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the United States through a national origins quota. The quota provided immigration visas to two percent of the total number of people of each nationality in the United States as of the 1890 national census. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
The agreement became known as the Kellogg-Briand Pact in recognition of its primary creators and was signed in Paris, France, on August 27, 1928. The main text has two articles: Signatories shall renounce war as a national policy and; Signatories shall settle disputes by peaceful means -
Stock Market Crash
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash or the Crash of '29, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It began in September, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange collapsed, and ended in mid-November. -
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Great Depression
The "Great Depression " was a severe, world -wide economic disintegration symbolized in the United States by the stock market crash on "Black Thursday", October 24, 1929 . -
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Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl was the result of a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. -
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Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal
The New Deal included new constraints and safeguards on the banking industry and efforts to re-inflate the economy after prices had fallen sharply. New Deal programs included both laws passed by Congress as well as presidential executive orders during the first term of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act was signed into law by President Roosevelt on August 14, 1935. In addition to several provisions for general welfare, the new Act created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement. -
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Neutrality Acts
The Neutrality Acts were a series of acts passed by the US Congress in 1935, 1936, 1937, and 1939 in response to the growing threats and wars that led to World War II. -
Pearl Harbor Attack
On December 7, 1941 the Japanese military launched a surprise attack on the US Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The attack killed 2,403 service members and wounded 1,178 more, and sank or destroyed six U.S. ships. They also destroyed 169 U.S. Navy and Army Air Corps planes. -
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World War II
World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. -
Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 -
D-Day
The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D-Day, it is the largest seaborne invasion in history. -
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union to discuss the postwar reorganization of Germany and Europe. -
United Nations Founded
Roosevelt also sought to convince the public that an international organization was the best means to prevent future wars. The Senate approved the UN Charter on July 28, 1945, by a vote of 89 to 2. The United Nations came into existence on October 24, 1945, after 29 nations had ratified the Charter. -
- Truman Doctrine
With the Truman Doctrine, President Harry S. Truman established that the United States would provide political, military and economic assistance to all democratic nations under threat from external or internal authoritarian forces. -
Marshall Plan
For the United States, the Marshall Plan provided markets for American goods, created reliable trading partners, and supported the development of stable democratic governments in Western Europe. Congress's approval of the Marshall Plan signaled an extension of the bipartisanship of World War II into the postwar years. -
NATO Established
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere. -
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Korean War
The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. It began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea and ceased after an armistice on 27 July 1953. -
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 ruling that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality. -
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Civil Rights Movement
In the middle of the 20th century, a nationwide movement for equal rights for African Americans and for an end to racial segregation and exclusion arose across the United States. -
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Montgomery Bus Boycott
The Montgomery bus boycott was a political and social protest campaign against the policy of racial segregation on the public transit system of Montgomery, Alabama. It was a foundational event in the civil rights movement in the United States. -
Eisenhower Doctrine
Eisenhower on January 5, 1957, within a "Special Message to the Congress on the Situation in the Middle East". Under the Eisenhower Doctrine, a Middle Eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from U.S. military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 9, 1957. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis in Cuba, or the Caribbean Crisis, was a 13-day confrontation between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union, when American deployments of nuclear missiles in Italy and Turkey were matched by Soviet deployments of nuclear missiles in Cuba. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 88-352 (78 Stat. 241). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Provisions of this civil rights act forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, as well as, race in hiring, promoting, and firing. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. -
Nixon's visit to China
1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China U.S. president Richard Nixon shakes hands with Chinese premier Zhou Enlai at Beijing Capital International Airport. -
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Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal was a significant political controversy in the United States during the presidency of Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974, ultimately resulting in Nixon's resignation. -
Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a right to have an abortion. -
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution, also known as the Islamic Revolution, was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. -
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Iran Hostage Crisis
The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic standoff between Iran and the United States. Fifty-three American diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students. -
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Reaganomics
Reaganomics, or Reaganism, were the neoliberal economic policies promoted by U.S. President Ronald Reagan during the 1980s. These policies are characterized as supply-side economics, trickle-down economics, or "voodoo economics" by opponents, while Reagan and his advocates preferred to call it free-market economics. -
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Iran-Contra Affair
The Iran–Contra affair, often referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan administration. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The fall of the Wall marked the first critical step towards German reunification, which formally concluded a mere 339 days later on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of East Germany and the official reunification of the German state along the democratic lines of the West German Basic Law. -
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Gulf War
The Gulf War was a war waged by coalition forces from 35 nations led by the United States against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait. -
NAFTA signed
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. -
Impeachment of President Bill Clinton
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established a free-trade zone in North America; it was signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. NAFTA immediately lifted tariffs on the majority of goods produced by the signatory nations. -
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War in Afghanistan
The War in Afghanistan was an armed conflict from 2001 to 2021. It was the direct response to the September 11 attacks. -
September 11 Attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist suicide terrorist attacks carried out by Al-Qaeda against the United States on September 11, 2001. That morning, 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners scheduled to travel from the East Coast to California. -
Invasion of Iraq
The United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq was the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion began on 19 March 2003 and lasted just over one month, including 26 days of major combat operations. -
Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. -
Supreme Court Decision on Same-Sex Marriage
The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples in the United States, no matter where they live, have the same legal right to marry as different-sex couples.