Timeline and Figures

TIMELINE OF MAIN EVENTS

• Pre-1776: Diverse origins of settlers in British colonies; social composition includes Protestantism, Puritanism, Racism & Anglo-Saxon pragmatism.

• 1776: Declaration of Independence.

• 1781-1789: Articles of Confederation in effect.

• 1787: Constitutional Convention; states determine voter qualifications.

• 1788: Ratification of the Constitution.

• 1789: Constitution takes effect.

• 1791: Bill of Rights ratified.

• 1803: Marbury vs. Madison establishes judicial review.

• 1808: Federal ban on slavery.

• 1810: Fletcher v. Peck case.

• 1819: McCulloch vs. Maryland and Dartmouth College v. Woodward cases.

• 1824: Gibbons v. Ogden case.

• 1861-1865: Civil War.

• 1870: XV Amendment ratified (voting rights without race discrimination).

• 1896: Plessy v. Ferguson case.

• 1913: XVII Amendment ratified (direct election of Senators).

• Early 20th Century: Primaries system introduced.

• 1920: XIX Amendment ratified (voting rights without gender discrimination).

• 1925: Near v. Minnesota case.

• 1930s: Roosevelt's New Deal; Supreme Court deems some New Deal measures unconstitutional (Schechter Poultry Corporation v. United States, United States v. Butler).

• 1947: First broadcast of State of the Union address (Truman).

• 1952: First presidential campaign advertisements on television (Eisenhower); First political use of television (Nixon's appeal to the public).

• 1956: Adlai Stevenson quote about merchandising candidates.

• 1960: First televised presidential debate (Kennedy vs. Nixon).

• 1961: First televised presidential conference (Kennedy).

• 1964: XXIV Amendment ratified (outlaws poll tax); "Daisy" Commercial.

• 1965: Televised war (Vietnam).

• 1968: "New" Richard Nixon.

• 1971: XVI Amendment ratified (lowers voting age to 18); New York Times v. United States case.

• 1981-1989: Reagan administration; more flexibility granted to states.

• 1985: Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority case.

• 1988: Hustler Magazine Inc v. Falwell case.

• 1995: United States v. Lopez case.

• 2022: US Census counts 90,837 local governments.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

• Adam Smith: (1723-1790) Scottish economist and philosopher. Key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. Known for his book The Wealth of Nations (1776). Advocated for economic liberalism.

• Founding Fathers: Group of American leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, led the war for independence from Great Britain, and built a framework of government for the new United States of America upon republican principles during the late 18th century.

• C.J. Marshall (John Marshall): (1755-1835) Fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States (1801–1835). His court opinions helped lay the basis for American constitutional law and made the Supreme Court a coequal branch of government alongside the legislative and executive branches.

• Robert Calvin: Figure in Robert Calvin's Case (1608).

• Thomas Jefferson: (1743-1826) American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809.

• James Madison: (1751-1836) American statesman, diplomat, philosopher and Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. He is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for his pivotal role in drafting and promoting the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

• Whigs: A political faction and then a political party in the parliaments of England, Scotland, and Great Britain and then the United Kingdom.

• Tories: A member of the Conservative Party in Britain.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt: (1882-1945) American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945.

• Andrew Johnson: (1808-1875) The 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869.

• Ronald Reagan: (1911-2004) American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

• Harry Truman: (1884-1972) American statesman who served as the 33rd president of the United States from 1945 to 1953.

• Dwight D. Eisenhower: (1890-1969) American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961.

• Richard Nixon: (1913-1994) American politician who served as the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974.

• John F. Kennedy: (1917-1963) American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963.

• Adlai Stevenson: (1900-1965) American lawyer, politician, and diplomat. Served as the 45th Governor of Illinois from 1949 to 1953, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for president in 1952 and 1956.

• Jimmy Carter: (Born 1924) American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

• George H.W. Bush: (1924-2018) American politician who served as the 41st president of the United States from 1989 to 1993.

• Bill Clinton: (Born 1946) American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

• Barack Obama: (Born 1961) American politician and attorney who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017.

• Donald Trump: (Born 1946) American media personality, businessman, and politician who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

• Joe Biden: (Born 1942) American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States since 2021.