Copyright U.S. News and World Report Sep 22, 2003

1 LEE RESOLUTION, 1776

On June 7, in the Second Continental Congress, Richard Henry Lee proposes independence for the American Colonies.

2 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, 1776

The formal statement of separation from England and list of grievances is adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4.

3 ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION, 1777

Reserves the right for each state to maintain "its sovereignty, freedom, and independence."

4 TREATY OF ALLIANCE WITH FRANCE, 1778

In their first military treaty, the Colonies agree to aid France in case of an attack by England; neither country would make peace with England until it recognized U.S. independence.

5 ORIGINAL DESIGN OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES, 1782

Altered several times; its famous motto is "E pluribus unum"--"Out of many, one."

6 TREATY OF PARIS, 1783

Ends the war between Great Britain and its former Colonies, formally recognizing the U.S. as an independent nation.

7 VIRGINIA PLAN, 1787

Drafted by James Madison, it proposes a strong central government composed of three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

8 NORTHWEST ORDINANCE, 1787

Lays the groundwork for westward expansion; establishes U.S. control over the territory north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi.

9 U.S. CONSTITUTION, 1787

Drafted in secret, it creates a representative democratic republic with three branches of government and a system of checks and balances.

10 FEDERALIST PAPER NOS. 10 AND 51, 1787-88

Part of a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, they promote ratification of the Constitution.

11 WASHINGTON'S INAUGURAL SPEECH, 1789

Washington is unanimously elected president by the Electoral College. He gives the first inaugural address in New York on April 30.

12 FEDERAL JUDICIARY ACT, 1789

One of the first acts of the new Congress, it creates the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts.

13 BILL OF RIGHTS, 1791

Twelve amendments to the Constitution are originally proposed, but these 10, defining basic citizens' rights, are ratified.

14 PATENT OF THE COTTON GIN, 1794

Separating cotton fiber from seed, Eli Whitney's invention makes cotton a profitable crop for the first time.

15 WASHINGTON'S FAREWELL ADDRESS, 1796

The president advises Americans to avoid political parties and to be wary of foreign entanglements.

16 ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS, 1798

Tightens restrictions on foreign-born Americans and limits speech critical of the government.

17 JEFFERSON'S SECRET MESSAGE TO CONGRESS REGARDING EXPLORATION OF THE WEST, 1803

The president asks Congress for $2,500 to fund the westward exploration that would be led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

18 LOUISIANA PURCHASE TREATY, 1803

For $15 million, the U.S. purchases from France enough land west of the Mississippi River to double the size of the country.

19 MARBURY V. MADISON, 1803

The Supreme Court establishes the right of the courts to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the other two branches of government.

20 TREATY OF GHENT, 1814

Ends the War of 1812 between Britain and the U.S., confirming the sovereignty of the new nation.

21 MCCULLOUGH V. MARYLAND, 1819

In this ruling, the Supreme Court broadly interprets the powers of the national government, becoming the legal basis for further expansion of federal power.

22 MISSOURI COMPROMISE, 1820

This legislation admits Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state and outlaws slavery in the northern part of the Louisiana territory.

23 MONROE DOCTRINE, 1823

President James Monroe warns European powers not to interfere in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere, which, he says, is solely in the U.S. realm of interest.

24 GIBBONS V. OGDEN, 1824

The Supreme Court rules that states cannot enact laws that interfere with Congress's right to regulate interstate commerce.

25 PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS ON INDIAN REMOVAL, 1830

Calls for relocating eastern tribes, such as the Cherokee, to land west of the Mississippi to open new land for settlement.

26 TREATY OF GUADALUPE HIDALGO, 1848

Ends the war between the U.S. and Mexico and provides for Mexico to cede parts of present-day Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Utah.

27 COMPROMISE OF 1850

Provides for slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty in new states; prohibits slaves in the District of Columbia.

28 KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT, 1854

Repeals the Missouri Compromise and allows the citizens in the new states of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether to permit slavery.

29 DRED SCOTT V. SANFORD, 1857

The Supreme Court rules that no slave or descendant of a slave has ever been or could ever be a U.S. citizen.

30 TELEGRAM ANNOUNCING THE SURRENDER OF FORT SUMTER, 1861

Maj. Robert Anderson announces the surrender of the South Carolina arsenal to the Confederacy in the first battle of the Civil War.

31 HOMESTEAD ACT, 1862

Accelerates the settlement of western territory by granting families 160 acres of surveyed public land for five years for a small fee.

32 PACIFIC RAILWAY ACT, 1862

Provides federal subsidies in land and loans for the construction of a transcontinental railroad.

33 MORRILL ACT, 1862

New states are granted public land to sell, and the proceeds go to establish agricultural and engineering colleges.

34 EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION, 1863

President Lincoln declares "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

35 WAR DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER 143: CREATION OF THE U.S. COLORED TROOPS, 1863

Lincoln approves the recruitment of slaves and free blacks for military service.

36 GETTYSBURG ADDRESS, 1863

Lincoln urges Americans to remember the cause for which soldiers died and to rededicate themselves to freedom and equality.

37 WADE-DAVIS BILL, 1864

Creates a framework for reconstruction after the Civil War and the readmittance of the Confederate states to the Union.

38 PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S SECOND INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 1865

The president speaks of mutual forgiveness by the North and South, asserting that the true mettle of a nation lies in its capacity for charity.

39 ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT REGARDING THE SURRENDER OF THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, 1865

On April 9, Generals Grant and Lee meet at the Appomattox Court House to discuss the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

40 13TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: ABOLITION OF SLAVERY, 1865

Outlaws the practice of slavery, previously permitted by the Constitution.

41 CHECK FOR THE PURCHASE OF ALASKA, 1868

In negotiations by Secretary of State William Seward, the U.S. buys the territory of Alaska from Russia for less than 2 cents an acre. Critics call it "Seward's Folly" until prospectors strike gold.

42 TREATY OF FORT LARAMIE, 1868

The U.S. government and the Sioux Nation agree that the Sioux will settle within the Black Hills Reservation in the Dakota Territory.

43 14TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: CIVIL RIGHTS, 1868

Extends liberties and privileges granted by the Bill of Rights to former slaves.

44 15TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: VOTING RIGHTS, 1870

Grants African-American men the right to vote.

45 ACT ESTABLISHING YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, 1872

The creation of the first national park marks a growing appreciation for nature.

46 THOMAS EDISON'S PATENT APPLICATION FOR THE LIGHT BULB, 1880

The incandescent lamp paves the way for the widespread use of electric light.

47 CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT, 1882

The first significant immigration restriction, it suspends Chinese immigration for 10 years and declares the Chinese ineligible for citizenship.

48 PENDLETON ACT, 1883

Eliminates the "spoils" system in favor of a merit-based approach to selecting government officials.

49 INTERSTATE-COMMERCE ACT, 1887

Creates a commission to oversee the railroad industry, a model for future government regulation of private business.

50 DAWES ACT, 1887

Breaks up Indian reservations and allots land parcels to individuals, reasoning that if Indians acted independently of tribes, they would adopt white culture and become self-sufficient.

51 SHERMAN ANTITRUST ACT, 1890

Outlaws anticompetitive business practices, such as agreements between businesses to try to control prices.

52 PLESSY V. FERGUSON, 1896

Upholds a state law allowing for "equal but separate accommodations for members of the white and colored race."

53 DE LOME LETTER, 1898

A published criticism of President William McKinley by the Spanish ambassador to the U.S. fuels support for a war with Spain over Cuban independence.

54 JOINT RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE ANNEXATION OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS, 1898

After deposing the native queen, American leaders take control of the strategically placed islands.

55 PLATT AMENDMENT, 1903

Allows the U.S. to maintain some control over Cuba, but rising Cuban nationalism later causes its repeal. The U.S., however, keeps control of its naval base.

56 THEODORE ROOSEVELT'S COROLLARY TO THE MONROE DOCTRINE, 1905

Gives the U.S. the right to intervene in the affairs of the Western Hemisphere. In 1934, FDR renounces it with his Good Neighbor Policy.

57 16TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: FEDERAL INCOME TAX, 1913

Establishes Congress's right to impose a tax on the earnings of its citizens.

58 17TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: DIRECT ELECTION OF SENATORS, 1913

Gives voters the right to cast direct votes for their U.S. senators. Previously, senators had been chosen by state legislatures.

59 KEATING-OWEN CHILD LABOR ACT, 1916

Prompted by social reformers, it limits the work hours of children and forbids the interstate sale of goods produced by child labor.

60 ZIMMERMANN TELEGRAM, 1917

Written by the German foreign secretary, this coded message seeks Mexican support for Germany during WWI. It helps pull the U.S. into the war.

61 DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST GERMANY, 1917

President Woodrow Wilson, despite his re-election on an antiwar platform, now says "the world must be made safe for democracy."

62 PRESIDENT WOODROW WILSON'S 14 POINTS, 1918

A set of goals provides the framework for world peace: among them, the abolition of secret treaties, reduction in arms, and establishment of a world organization providing collective security.

63 19TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: WOMEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE, 1920

The product of decades of effort by suffragists, it changes the face of the electorate forever.

64 BOULDER CANYON PROJECT ACT, 1928

Authorizes construction of the Hoover Dam and other projects to control flooding on the Colorado River and to bring water and electricity to the West.

65 TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY ACT, 1933

Creates an authority to oversee construction of dams to control flooding, improve navigation, and bring electricity to the rural South.

66 NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RECOVERY ACT, 1933

A unique economic experiment, it sanctions and supports an alliance of industries, suspending many anticompetition laws. Widely criticized, it is never implemented.

67 NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS ACT, 1935

Establishes a national labor relations board and gives workers the right to join unions and collectively bargain with their employers.

68 SOCIAL SECURITY ACT, 1935

Establishes benefits for the elderly, needy children, and the unemployed. Later amendments give aid to survivors, the blind, the handicapped, and victims of industrial accidents.

69 PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S RADIO ADDRESS UNVEILING SECOND HALF OF NEW DEAL, 1936

With the economy still depressed, the president establishes more relief measures, including the Works Progress Administration, which eventually employs 8.5 million people to build roads, bridges, and other projects.

70 PRESIDENT FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT'S ANNUAL MESSAGE TO CONGRESS, 1941

In his "four freedoms" address ("freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear"), the president calls for liberty to be extended throughout the world.

71 LEND LEASE ACT, 1941

Allows the U.S. to supply England with war goods without requiring cash payment, thus allowing the U.S. to prepare for war while remaining officially neutral.

72 EXECUTIVE ORDER 8802, 1941.

Prohibits discriminatory employment practices by federal agencies and all companies and unions engaged in war-related work.

73 JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS LEADING TO DECLARATION OF WAR WITH JAPAN, 1941

FDR seeks and gets congressional approval to enter WWII, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that killed some 2,400 Americans.

74 EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066, 1942

Authorizes the evacuation of all Japanese- Americans (122,000 over six months) from the West Coast to fenced and guarded relocation centers farther inland.

75 EISENHOWER'S ORDER OF THE DAY, JUNE 6, 1944

Authorizes the American invasion of Normandy in an effort to liberate France, which had fallen to the Germans earlier in WWII.

76 SERVICEMEN'S READJUSTMENT ACT, 1944

Known as the GI Bill, it provides veterans of WWII with unemployment insurance and money for college and housing.

77 MANHATTAN PROJECT NOTEBOOK, 1945

Records an experiment of the government's secret effort to build an atomic bomb, in this case, the first controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

78 SURRENDER OF GERMANY, 1945

May 7 ends the European phase of WWII; it follows the suicide of Adolf Hitler, Berlin's surrender to the Soviets, and the surrender of several German armies to the British.

79 UNITED NATIONS CHARTER, 1945

The Allied powers create an international agency to resolve conflicts among members and discourage aggressor nations with military force.

80 SURRENDER OF JAPAN, 1945

The enemy's capitulation is eight short paragraphs, signed by Japanese envoys on the deck of the USS Missouri.

81 TRUMAN DOCTRINE, 1947

Amid fears that Greece and Turkey could fall to the Soviet Union, the president says world peace depends on the containment of communism around the world.

82 MARSHALL PLAN, 1948

Named for Secretary of State George Marshall, it proposes that the U.S. provide economic aid to restore the infrastructure of postwar Europe.

83 PRESS RELEASE ANNOUNCING U.S. RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL, 1948

On May 14, President Truman recognizes the provisional government as the de facto authority of the Jewish state. On May 15, the first Arab-Israeli war begins.

84 EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981: DESEGREGATION OF THE ARMED FORCES, 1948

Establishes a presidential committee on equal treatment and commits the government to racially integrating the military.

85 ARMISTICE AGREEMENT FOR THE RESTORATION OF THE SOUTH KOREAN STATE, 1953

Formally ends the war in Korea. The North and South remain separate, occupying almost the same territory as when the war began.

86 SENATE RESOLUTION 301: CENSURE OF SEN. JOSEPH McCARTHY, 1954

Sanctions the aggressive senator who exploited a Cold War atmosphere of fear and suspicion by accusing government officials, entertainment figures, and others of being Communists.

87 BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION, 1954

The Supreme Court overrules the "separate but equal" principle, saying that it promotes racial supremacy. It rules that state-sanctioned segregation of public schools is a violation of the 14th Amendment.

88 NATIONAL INTERSTATE AND DEFENSE HIGHWAYS ACT, 1956

Authorizes the building of 41,000 miles of highways in the nation's biggest public works project. The pattern of community development is fundamentally altered.

89 EXECUTIVE ORDER 10730: DESEGREGATION OF CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL, 1957

When a Little Rock, Ark., high school refuses to comply with Brown v. Board of Education, Eisenhower sends in troops to enforce the law.

90 PRESIDENT DWIGHT EISENHOWER'S FAREWELL ADDRESS, 1961

He presciently warns against the establishment of a "military industrial complex" and its "potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power."

91 PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS, 1961

He calls for young Americans to protect liberty worldwide. "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country."

92 EXECUTIVE ORDER 10924: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PEACE CORPS, 1961

The program that sends young Americans to developing nations to assist with education, technical, and medical assistance is also intended to spread American goodwill and help stem the growth of communism.

93 TRANSCRIPT OF JOHN GLENN'S OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION WITH THE COMMAND CENTER, 1962

During the first American manned space orbit of Earth, the astronaut communicates with Mission Control about a faulty heat shield.

94 AERIAL PHOTO OF MISSILES IN CUBA, 1962

U-2 reconnaissance planes show the Soviet Union amassing ballistic missiles on the island, just 90 miles from Florida.

95 TEST BAN TREATY, 1963.

Concerned about radioactive fallout, the U.S., Great Britain, and the Soviet Union ban nuclear weapon tests in the atmosphere, in outer space, and underwater.

96 OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON, 1963

In the largest such demonstration in U.S. history, 250,000 people gather before the Lincoln Memorial in support of civil rights; the highlight is Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream" speech.

97 CIVIL RIGHT ACTS, 1964

Prohibits discrimination in public places, provides for the integration of public facilities, and makes employment discrimination illegal.

98 TONKIN GULF RESOLUTION, 1964

Allows the president to increase U.S. involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam.

99 SOCIAL SECURITY ACT AMENDMENTS, 1965

Establishes Medicare, health insurance for the elderly, and Medicaid, health insurance for the poor.

100 VOTING RIGHTS ACT, 1965

Outlaws discriminatory voting practices, including literacy tests, common in the South, and provides for federally supervised elections.