Key Moments in American History: Defining U.S. Milestones

Foundational Documents and Early Governance

• Mayflower Compact (1620)

  An early agreement among Pilgrims for self-governance in Plymouth Colony.

• House of Burgesses (1619)

  The first legislative assembly in the American colonies, established in Virginia.

• Declaration of Independence (1776)

  The document by which the thirteen American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain.

• Articles of Confederation (1781)

  The first constitution of the United States, which established a weak federal government.

• Shays' Rebellion (1786–1787)

  An uprising that highlighted the significant weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

• Constitutional Convention (1787)

  A pivotal meeting held to draft a new United States Constitution.

• Great Compromise (1787)

  Established the structure of the U.S. Congress with two houses: the House of Representatives (based on population) and the Senate (with equal representation for each state).

• U.S. Constitution Ratified (1788)

  The ratification of the United States Constitution, establishing a stronger federal government.

• Bill of Rights (1791)

  The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing fundamental individual freedoms.

Expansion and Civil War Era

• Louisiana Purchase (1803)

  The United States acquired a vast territory from France, effectively doubling the size of the nation.

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

  President Abraham Lincoln declared all enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.

• 14th Amendment (1868)

  Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and ensured equal protection under the law.

Civil Rights and Social Progress

• Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906)

  A prominent leader in the women's suffrage movement, advocating for women's right to vote.

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

  A landmark Supreme Court case that declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

• Civil Rights Act (1964)

  A comprehensive federal law that outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

• Great Society (1964–1965)

  President Lyndon B. Johnson's ambitious set of domestic programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice.

• Roe v. Wade (1973)

  A landmark Supreme Court ruling that established a woman's constitutional right to an abortion, legalizing it nationwide.

• Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971)

  Established the "Lemon Test," a three-pronged test used by the Supreme Court to determine whether a law violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause (separation of church and state).

• Title IX (1972)

  A federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.

• Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (1993–2011)

  A U.S. military policy that allowed LGBTQ+ individuals to serve as long as they did not openly disclose their sexual orientation.

• Leon Panetta (2013)

  Then-Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta lifted the ban on women serving in direct combat roles within the U.S. military.

• Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

  A landmark Supreme Court decision that invalidated sodomy laws across the United States, thereby decriminalizing private consensual sexual activity between adults of the same sex.

• Same-Sex Marriage Legalized (2015)

  The Supreme Court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges that the right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by the U.S. Constitution, legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.