D-Day and Victory in Europe for Allied Forces in World War II
Axis powers dominated the beginning of World War II. The Allied forces didn't truly gain momentum until the second half of World War II. Commonly referred to as [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Second Amendment: Setting Presidential Term Limits
As of today any president can only be elected twice. This is due to the Twenty-Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Because Article II, Section 1 of the original, unamended Constitution set the president’s [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Third Amendment
When the Constitution was ratified in its original form in 1788, New York City was the nation’s capital. But the so-called “District Clause” in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution made provision for [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Fourth Amendment: Banning Poll Taxes
Even with the Fifteenth Amendment giving equal voting rights to all people, regardless of race, there was still a need for the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, which banned poll taxes. [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Fifth Amendment: Succeeding to the Presidency
The Twenty-Fifth Amendment, ratified in 1967, made some arrangements about the presidency and vice presidency, most of which ought to have been tackled much earlier. [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Sixth Amendment: Lowering the Voting Age
In the wake of a war, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment passed through the channels of government with surprising ease. The voting age was 21 until the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment in 1971, which [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twenty-Seventh Amendment: Limiting Congressional Pay Raises
A fun amendment at last! The Twenty-Seventh Amendment is of interest less for what it says than for the way it was ratified. It was proposed by Congress in 1789 but was ratified only in 1992, more than [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Eleventh Amendment
The Eleventh Amendment, ratified in 1795, contains only 43 words, but it has been interpreted in at least four different ways. Here is what the amendment says: [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Twelfth Amendment: Creating the Electoral College
The Twelfth Amendment introduced the system of presidential elections, the Electoral College, which is still in force today — at least in theory. It was intended as an emergency fix for the 1804 presidential [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, is one of the most important — and one of the most controversial — parts of the Constitution. It’s a meaty amendment, dealing with some pretty weighty topics [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Sixteenth Amendment: The Legalization of Income Tax
Can Uncle Sam legally tax you on your income? You may resent this government power, but it is kosher. However, that hasn’t always been the case. Income tax is a [more…]
The U.S. Constitution's Seventeenth Amendment: Electing the Senate
The Framers of the Constitution didn’t trust the people. Under the original, unamended Constitution, the House of Representatives was the only directly elected body. Prior to the seventeenth amendment [more…]
The Eighteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: Outlawing Liquor
The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture, sale, transportation, import, or export of all “intoxicating liquors,” which were defined by a companion act of Congress as any beverage [more…]
Women's Suffrage: The Nineteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
Similar to the Fifteenth Amendment, the Nineteenth Amendment granted equal voting rights to women. The drive for votes for women across the nation began in earnest with the formation of the National Woman [more…]
The Twentieth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
Passed on March 2, 1932, the Twentieth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clarified and rectified questions left unanswered originally in the Constitution. In the time of George Washington, travel was [more…]
The Twenty-First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: Repealing Prohibition
The Eighteenth Amendment introducing Prohibition is the only amendment ever to have been repealed. This was done by the Twenty-First Amendment just under 14 years after Prohibition had been introduced. [more…]
The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.
On September 11, 2001 the United States suffered the worst terrorist attack on its soil in its history. The attack was heartbreaking to U.S. citizens and prompted immediate political reaction. The U.S. [more…]
Response to 9/11: The War on Terror
In response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States initiated an international military campaign known as the War on Terror (or the War on Terrorism). Led by the United States and the United [more…]
A World War II Timeline
For a brief rundown of World War II, check out the following chart, which highlights critical political events, leaders, and military action in the years preceding, during, and following the war: [more…]
How Washington, D.C., became the Capital of the United States
Some capitals emerge from the eternal depths of history. Legend has it that Washington, D.C., was the result of a backroom political compromise. President Washington, newly sworn into office at New York’s [more…]
How Washington, D.C., Developed
As the new capital in Washington, D.C., was being constructed, the federal government stayed in Philadelphia. On May 15, 1800, President John Adams ordered the federal government to relocate to Washington [more…]
Washington, D.C., during the Roosevelt Years
Although the City of Washington, D.C., grew throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, the federal government did not expand greatly in size and scope. The election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 [more…]
Washington, D.C., from the Cold War to the New Millennium
Between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War, new demands on Washington, D.C., to protect American security arose. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947 [more…]
Washington, D.C., History: Changing Population Demographics
Washington, D.C.,’s population grew steadily well into the 20th century, reaching a peak of 802,178 residents in 1950. But as Washington’s suburbs grew, the city’s population declined, hitting a low of [more…]
The Structure of the House in Washington, D.C.
The House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., has 435 members, each of whom serves only a two-year term. Someone must be at least 25 years old to run for a House seat. [more…]
