Given the events of November 4, 2008, I have been thinking about the great moments in American history. Not the "Important" moments, but, rather the great ones; the ones that move this nation further on its path toward enlightenment and toward that "more perfect union." Here's my list:
| Date |
Event |
Comment |
| July 4, 1776 |
The Birth of a Nation |
'Nuff Said |
| September 17, 1787 |
Adoption of the Constitution |
A living document, still in use today. The oldest written constitution still in operation today, it adapts remarkably to the times. |
| March 4,1789 |
Commencement of government under new Constitution |
The beginning of a bold experiment. |
| December 15, 1791 |
Bill of Rights ratified by Virginia enacts them into law |
The cornerstone of individual rights in the United States |
| March 4, 1797 |
Peaceful transition of power |
Underappreciated. Taken for granted today, but not at all a given at the time. |
| 1803 |
The Louisiana Purchase |
Grew our country, gave us the port of New Orleans, expanded the national character |
| 1862-3 |
The Emancipation Proclamation |
The beginning of the end of slavery in the United States |
| 1865-9 |
Drafting and adoption of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments |
13 – culmination of Abolitionist movement in abolition of slavery;
14—application of 5th Amendment due process rights to the States
15 – universal suffrage (sort of); race not a bar to right to vote |
| August 18, 1920 |
19th Amendment |
Culmination of women's suffrage movement in the woman's right to vote |
| April 15, 1947 |
Jackie Robinson plays for the Brooklyn Dodgers |
The mixing of races on a highly public, uniquely American stage. It's not just baseball. |
| May 17, 1954 |
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas |
A 9-0 decision by the US Supreme Court said that "separate but equal is NOT equal." Paved the way for integration and empowered the civil rights movement. |
| July 2, 1964 |
Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
Outlawed racial segregation in schools, public places, and employment. |
| July 20, 1969 |
Man walks on the moon |
One of the great moments in the history of mankind; a massive achievement of science and cooperation; inspired dreams of the whole world, and engineered by the United States. |
| November 4, 2008 |
Barack Obama elected president of the U.S. |
Anyone in this nation can be anything they want. Prejudice is no longer a limit. |
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