Documents needed to know and what they are

• Mayflower Compact (1620) – early example of self-government.

• Declaration of Independence (1776) – broke from Britain, based on Enlightenment ideals.

• Articles of Confederation (1781) – first (weak) U.S. government.

• U.S. Constitution (1787) – current framework of U.S. government.

• Federalist Papers (1787–88) – argued for Constitution ratification (esp. Fed. #10 & #51).

• Bill of Rights (1791) – first 10 amendments to protect individual liberties.

• Washington’s Farewell Address (1796) – warned against parties & foreign alliances.

• Monroe Doctrine (1823) – warned Europe to stay out of the Western Hemisphere.

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863) – declared slaves in rebelling states free.

🕰 By Period (APUSH Periods 1–9)

🧭 Period 1–2 (1491–1754)

• Mayflower Compact (1620)

• Maryland Toleration Act (1649) – granted religious freedom to Christians.

🎯 Period 3 (1754–1800)

• Albany Plan of Union (1754) – Ben Franklin’s failed plan to unite colonies.

• Declaration of Independence (1776)

• Common Sense (1776) – by Thomas Paine; urged independence.

• Articles of Confederation (1781)

• Treaty of Paris (1783) – ended the Revolutionary War.

• U.S. Constitution (1787)

• Federalist Papers (esp. #10, #51)

• Bill of Rights (1791)

• Washington’s Farewell Address (1796)

⚖ Period 4 (1800–1848)

• Marbury v. Madison (1803) – established judicial review (not a doc, but often tested like one).

• Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803)

• Monroe Doctrine (1823)

• Seneca Falls Declaration (1848) – women’s rights (modeled after the Declaration of Independence).

🔥 Period 5 (1844–1877)

• Compromise of 1850 – included Fugitive Slave Act.

• Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) – led to "Bleeding Kansas".

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) – said African Americans weren’t citizens.

• Lincoln’s House Divided Speech (1858)

• Lincoln’s First & Second Inaugural Addresses (1861, 1865)

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

• Gettysburg Address (1863)

• 13th Amendment (1865) – abolished slavery.

• 14th Amendment (1868) – granted citizenship to all born in the U.S.

• 15th Amendment (1870) – gave Black men the right to vote.

🏙 Period 6 (1865–1898)

• Gospel of Wealth (1889) – by Andrew Carnegie.

• Interstate Commerce Act (1887) – regulated railroads.

• Dawes Act (1887) – tried to assimilate Native Americans.

🧪 Period 7 (1890–1945)

• Platt Amendment (1901) – limited Cuban sovereignty.

• Roosevelt Corollary (1904) – U.S. as “policeman” of Latin America.

• Zimmermann Telegram (1917) – led to U.S. entry in WWI.

• Wilson’s Fourteen Points (1918) – post-WWI peace plan.

• Treaty of Versailles (1919) – ended WWI (U.S. didn’t ratify it).

• FDR’s First Inaugural Address (1933)

• Atlantic Charter (1941) – WWII goals with Britain.

☮ Period 8 (1945–1980)

• Truman Doctrine (1947) – support for countries resisting communism.

• Marshall Plan (1948) – rebuild Europe post-WWII.

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) – ended school segregation.

• Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) – MLK's defense of civil disobedience.

• Civil Rights Act (1964)

• Voting Rights Act (1965)

• Great Society speeches (1964–1965) – LBJ's domestic agenda.

🧠 Period 9 (1980–Present)

• Reagan’s First Inaugural Address (1981)

• USA PATRIOT Act (2001) – expanded surveillance after 9/11.

• Bush Doctrine (2002) – U.S. will strike preemptively.