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American Revolutionary War.
Also known as the Revolutionary War, this was the military conflict of the American Revolution where American forces, under the command of George Washington, defeated the British. This ultimately established and secured the independence of the United States. -
Shays' Rebellion.
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts. This rebellion was in response to to a debt crisis among the citizens in opposition to the states government increased efforts to collect taxes on both individuals and their trades. It is important to the U.S. government because it accelerated calls to reform the Articles. -
U.S. creates the Constitution
On September 9th, 1787, after much debate, the U.S. decided to replace the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation ultimately failed because Congress commanded little respect and got no support from state governments. They needed something stronger. This is when Benjamin Franklin, along with others, decided to create the Constitution. The Constitution was created to make a government with enough power on a national level, but without risking rights. -
9th Amendment.
(9) - rights not named belong to the people. -
1st Amendment.
(1) - freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. -
3rd Amendment.
(3) - quartering of troops. -
4th Amendment.
(4) - search and seizure. -
5th Amendment.
(5) - due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination. -
6th Amendment.
(6) - jury trial, right to counsel. -
10th Amendment.
(10) - powers reserved to the state. -
8th Amendment.
(8) - excess bail or fines, cruel and unusual punishments. -
7th Amendment.
(7) - common law suits. -
2nd Amendment.
(2) - the right to bear arms. -
Whiskey Rebellion
Farmers of western Pennsylvania protested against the whiskey tax, thus starting the beginning of the whiskey rebellion. -
11th Amendment.
(11) - lawsuits against a state -
Louisiana Purchase.
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the territory of Louisiana from the French. It is important because it doubled the size of the United States. -
12th Amendment.
(12) - election of presidents and vice presidents. -
Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans was when the U.S. achieved land victory and defeated British forces. The Battle of New Orleans is important to the U.S. government because it marked the state's political incorporation into the Union. -
Missouri Compromise.
This was a federal legislation of the U.S. that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those southern states to expand it. -
Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was an attempt by President James Madison to prevent other European powers from establishing colonies in the Western Hemisphere. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This document brought a close to the Spanish-American War. It also fulfilled the Manifest Destiny of the U.S. -
American Civil War.
This was a civil war in the U.S. fought between the Union and Confederacy. It is extremely important to the American government because it led to the freedom of more than four million enslaved Americans. (13th Amendment). -
Emancipation Proclamation.
The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by U.S. president Abraham Lincoln that declared all the slaves free. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was a battle in the American Civil War fought by Union and Confederate forces. This battle is important to the U.S. government because it ended Confederate general Robert E. Lee's ambitious second quest to invade the North and bring the Civil War to a swift end. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
On April 14th, 1865, the 16th president of the U.S., Abraham Lincoln, was assassinated while attending a play at Fords' Theater. This event is extremely important because it increased the White House security by much. -
13th Amendment.
(13) - abolition of slavery. -
14th Amendment.
(14) - citizenship rights, equal protection, apportionment, civil war debt -
15th Amendment.
(15) - right to vote not denied by race. -
Plessy V. Ferguson
The U.S. Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson ruled that separate but equal facilities were constitutional. The Plessy v. Ferguson decision upheld the principle of racial segregation over the next half-century. -
16th Amendment.
(16) - income tax. -
17th Amendment.
(17) - popular election of senators. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
The Sinking of the Lusitania took place when a German U-boat torpedoed the British-owned steamship Lusitania, killing 1,195 people including 128 Americans, on May 7, 1915. The Sinking of the Lusitania is important to the U.S. government because it set off a chain of events that led to the U.S. entering World War I. -
18th Amendment.
(18) - prohibition of alcohol. -
19th Amendment.
(19) - women's right to vote. -
Stock Market Crash.
Also known as the Wall Street Crash, is extremely important to the U.S. government because it ultimately caused the Great Depression. -
20th Amendment.
(20) - presidential term and succession, assembly of congress -
21st Amendment.
(21) - repeal of prohibition of alcohol. -
The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The U.S. decided to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because they wanted to force a quick surrender by the Japanese to reduce the number of American lives lost. It is ultimately important to the U.S. government because they believed that dropping it saved Japanese lives too. -
22nd Amendment.
(22) - limits the terms presidents can serve. -
Brown V. Board of Education.
Brown V. Board of Education was an extremely important event in U.S. history that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. -
Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War was a long, costly, and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. It is important to the U.S. government because it was the product of the Cold War. -
23rd Amendment.
(23) - Washington D.C. have the rights to vote for president. -
Cuban Missile Crisis.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was a direct and dangerous confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War and was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. It is extremely important to the U.S. government because it was the moment when the two superpowers came closest to nuclear conflict. -
Assassination of JFK.
The 35th President of United States was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. This is important to American government because it ultimately led to a constitutional amendment. -
24th Amendment.
(24) - no poll tax's are allowed. -
25th Amendment.
(25) - the succession for presidency shall something happen to the president. -
26th Amendment.
(26) - the minimum voting age changed from 21 to 18. -
Watergate Scandal.
The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon from 1972 to 1974 that led to Nixon's resignation. -
27th Amendment.
(27) - congress cannot get a pay raise until the next term. -
September 11th Attacks.
On September 11th, 2001, a series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks were committed by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the United States, the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in U.S. history and absolutely devastating the U.S. forever.