The Revolution
Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson and officially adopted on July 4, 1776, this document formally announced the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain.
The Declaration of Independence
Ratified in 1791, these first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution were added to guarantee individual liberties and calm Antifederalist fears of federal overreach.
The Bill of Rights
Appointed by John Adams in 1801, this long-serving fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court consistently reinforced federal authority over state power.
John Marshall
Outraged western Pennsylvania farmers launched this 1794 insurrection against a federal excise tax, prompting President Washington to lead militia forces to suppress it.
The Whiskey Rebellion
Prior to Missouri's application for statehood in 1819, this exact numerical tally represented the equal ratio of free states to slave states in the Union.
11-11
This October 1777 battle in upstate New York served as the critical turning point of the Revolutionary War by convincing France to form a formal military alliance with the United States.
Battle of Saratoga
Reached at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, this agreement determined that only part of a state's enslaved population would be counted for both federal taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.
The Three-Fifths Compromise
The court established the fundamental principle of judicial review—the Supreme Court's power to declare federal acts unconstitutional—in this landmark 1803 ruling.
Marbury v. Madison
Authorized by Jefferson in 1803, this official name was given to the military expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to map the new Louisiana territory.
The Corps of Discovery
Under the 1820 Missouri Compromise, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, while this former district of Massachusetts was admitted as a free state to preserve Senate balance.
Maine
This was the final major battle of the war, in which British General Cornwallis surrendered his army to the joint American-French forces.
The Battle of Yorktown
Engineered by Roger Sherman at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, this agreement resolved the conflict between large and small states by creating a bicameral legislature.
The Great Compromise
Invoking the "Necessary and Proper" Clause, this 1819 decision upheld the constitutionality of the Bank of the United States and ruled that states could not tax federal institutions.
McCulloch v. Maryland
Tried for treason in 1807 after an alleged plot to conquer territory in the Southwest and set up an independent empire, this former Vice President was acquitted due to strict evidentiary standards.
Aaron Burr
Except for Missouri itself, the Missouri Compromise banned slavery in the Louisiana Purchase territory north of this parallel line of latitude.
36°30' N
Baron Friedrich von Steuben arrived at this winter camp in early 1778 to help standardize drill tactics and military discipline for the Continental Army through his "Blue Book."
Valley Forge
Established by Articles I, II, and III of the Constitution, these three branches of the federal government are responsible for making, enforcing, and interpreting the nation's laws.
Legislative, Executive, Judicial
Involving a steamboat monopoly operating between New York and New Jersey, this 1824 case broadly defined federal power over interstate commerce.
Gibbons v. Ogden
In this 1797 diplomatic scandal, three French agents demanded bribes and loans from American envoys before negotiating, igniting the rallying cry "Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute!"
The X, Y, Z Affair
This Speaker of the House earned the nickname "The Great Compromiser" by brokering the legislative packages that resolved the 1820 Missouri conflict.
Henry Clay
Adopted by the Second Continental Congress in July 1775, this petition represented a final attempt to avoid full-scale war by pledging colonial loyalty to King George III.
The Olive Branch Petition
Written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the collective pseudonym "Publius," this series of 85 essays urged states to ratify the new Constitution.
The Federalist Papers
Arising from the Yazoo land fraud, this 1810 case marked the first time the Supreme Court struck down a state law as unconstitutional, citing the Contract Clause.
Fletcher v. Peck
This 1795 treaty with Spain granted the United States duty-free navigation of the Mississippi River and the "right of deposit" to store goods in New Orleans.
Pinckney's Treaty
Introduced in February 1819 during Missouri's statehood debate, this controversial legislative proposal called for prohibiting the further entry of enslaved people into the territory and gradually emancipating enslaved children at age 25.
The Tallmadge Amendment