Articles of Confederation

Original constitution of the U.S. in 1781, replaced by the U.S. Constitution in 1789.

Battle of Little Bighorn

1876 battle in which the Sioux defeated U.S. Army forces.

Federalist Papers

Series of essays promoting the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, written by Hamilton, Madison, and Jay.

Affordable Care Act

2010 federal statute providing more Americans with access to affordable health insurance.

American System

Economic plan by Henry Clay promoting a strong banking system, protective tariffs, and federally funded transportation.

Black Tuesday

October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed, leading to the Great Depression.

Battle of Antietam

1862 Civil War battle, the bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history.

14 Points

President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 plan for peace after World War I.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

1961 failed invasion of Cuba by a CIA-sponsored paramilitary group.

Credit Mobilier Scandal

1872 scandal involving Union Pacific Railroad and the Credit Mobilier construction company.

Brown v. Board of Education

1954 Supreme Court decision declaring racial segregation in schools unconstitutional.

Alien and Sedition Acts

1798 laws allowing deportation of persons deemed dangerous and criminalizing criticism of government.

Compromise of 1850

Series of laws balancing slave and free states; included Fugitive Slave Act.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

1989 event symbolizing the end of the Cold War and division of East and West Germany.

Camp David Accords

1978 peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, brokered by President Carter.

Contract with America

1994 action plan by U.S. Republican candidates and Representatives.

Battle of Gettysburg

1863 Civil War battle, a turning point with Union victory and high casualties.

Containment

U.S. policy to stop the spread of communism during the Cold War.

Emancipation Proclamation

1863 declaration by President Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate states.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans were not U.S. citizens.

9/11 Attacks

Terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, leading to the War on Terror.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Cuban Missile Crisis

1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the Soviet Union over missiles in Cuba.

Black Lives Matter

Activist movement beginning in 2013, advocating against violence and systemic racism towards black people.

Americans with Disabilities Act

1990 law prohibiting discrimination based on disability.