101. The Seeds of the Constitution
1619 – Virginia Colonists Create the First Legislative Assembly
1733 – Parliament Restricts Free Trade Through the Molasses Act
1735 – The Peter Zenger Trial Plants the Seed for Freedom of the Press
1739 – Black Uprising in South Carolina Foreshadows Constitutional Crisis
1739 – The Great Awakening and the Separation of Church and State
102. Founding the Constitution
1750 – Iron Act Restricts American Business
1754 – The Albany Plan of Union Sets Out the Foundation for the U.S. Constitution
1760 – James Otis Fights for the Security of People in Their Homes
1765 – The Stamp Act and Taxation Without Representation
1774 – The Quartering Act Leads to the Third Amendment
1774 – Massachusetts Creates the Minutemen Militia
103. Writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
1774 – First Continental Congress Meets in Philadelphia
1776 – Declaration of Independence
1786 – Shays’ Rebellion Shows the Need for a New Constitution
1787 – The United States Constitution Is Written
1788 – Congress Sends 12 Amendments to the States
1789 – Alexander Hamilton Shapes America's Modern Industrial Economy
1791 – States Ratify Madison’s Bill of Rights
104. Testing the Constitution
1793 – Congress Enacts a Fugitive Slave Act
1794 – Congress Passes the 11th Amendment Protecting States’ Rights
1794 – Freedom to Protest Is Tested in the Whiskey Rebellion
1796 – John Adams Becomes the Second President of United States Inaugurating the Two-party System and Is Responsible for the 12th Amendment
1798 – Alien and Sedition Acts Usher in a Bleak Period of American Political Freedom
1803 – John Marshall Establishes a Strong Supreme Court Through Marbury v. Madison
105. The Constitution Survives
1810 – Marshall Establishes the Sanctity of Contracts
1828 – Jacksonian Democracy and the Constitution
1848 – Mexican-American War and Manifest Destiny Set up America's Greatest Constitutional Crisis
1861 – Southern States Secede and Force Constitutional Crisis
106. The Constitution Is Expanded
1865-70 – 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments: The Anti-Slavery Amendments
1872 – Susan B. Anthony Fights for Women’s Right to Vote
1887 – The Interstate Commerce Act Opens the Door for Increased Federal Power
1896 – Plessy v. Ferguson Establishes Separate but Equal for Black America
1913 – 16th Amendment Creates the Income Tax
1913 – 17th Amendment Allows for the Popular Election of Senators
1918 – Prohibition and the 18th Amendment
107. The Constitution in a Changing World
1919 – The Supreme Court Limits Free Speech and Freedom of the Press in Schenck v. U.S.
1920 – Women Gain the Right to Vote Through the 19th Amendment
1933 – 20th and 21st New Deal Amendments Herald a Change in American Life
1951 – Americans Limit a President to Two Terms with the 22nd Amendment
1954 – Brown v. Board of Education Ends “Separate but Equal” for Black America
1961 – Citizens of Washington D.C. Gain the Right to Vote with the 23rd Amendment
108. Constitutional Reform and Controversy
1961 – Supreme Court Prevents Illegal Search and Seizure with Mapp v. Ohio
1964 – Warren Court Strengthens “Innocent Until Proven Guilty” Through Miranda
1964 – 24th Amendment Prohibits Poll Taxes in Federal Elections
1967-92 – The 25th, 26th and 27th Amendments Reform America's Political Landscape
1973 – Roe v. Wade Extends Constitutional Right of Privacy
2000 – America Contests a Presidential Election
