The American’s Creed (1918)
William Tyler Page, of Friendship Heights, Maryland, gave to the citizens of his country, The American’s Creed. Mr. Page described it as “a summing up, in one hundred words, of the basic principles of American political faith.” I believe in the United States of America as a government of the people, by the people, for […]
Joint Address to Congress Leading to a Declaration of War Against Germany (1917)
On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson delivered this address to a joint session of Congress and called for a declaration of war against Germany. The resulting congressional vote brought the United States into World War I. As hostilities broke out between several nations of Europe in 1914, almost immediately, President Wilson declared America’s intent […]
Zimmermann Telegram (1917)
This telegram, written by German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann, is a coded message sent to Mexico, proposing a military alliance against the United States. The obvious threats to the United States contained in the telegram inflamed American public opinion against Germany and helped convince Congress to declare war against Germany in 1917. Between 1914 and […]
Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 (1916)
This act limited the working hours of children and forbade the interstate sale of goods produced by child labor. The 1900 census revealed that approximately 2 million children were working in mills, mines, fields, factories, stores, and on city streets across the United States. The census report helped spark a national movement to end child […]
The Star-Spangled Banner
On September 14, 1814, U.S. soldiers at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry raised a huge American flag to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The sight of those “broad stripes and bright stars” inspired Francis Scott Key to write a song that eventually became the United States national anthem. Key’s words […]
17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of U.S. Senators (1913)
Passed by Congress May 13, 1912, and ratified April 8, 1913, the 17th amendment modified Article I, section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. Senators. Prior to its passage, Senators were chosen by state legislatures. The Constitution, as it was adopted in 1788, made the Senate an assembly […]
16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Federal Income Tax (1913)
Passed by Congress on July 2, 1909, and ratified February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment established Congress’s right to impose a Federal income tax. Far-reaching in its social as well as its economic impact, the income tax amendment became part of the Constitution by a curious series of events culminating in a bit of political […]
Theodore Roosevelt’s Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine (1905)
In his annual messages to Congress in 1904 and 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt expanded the Monroe Doctrine. The corollary stated that not only were the nations of the Western Hemisphere not open to colonization by European powers, but that the United States had the responsibility to preserve order and protect life and property in those […]
Platt Amendment (1903)
Approved on May 22, 1903, the Platt Amendment was a treaty between the U.S. and Cuba that attempted to protect Cuba’s independence from foreign intervention. It permitted extensive U.S. involvement in Cuban international and domestic affairs for the enforcement of Cuban independence. At the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, the United States found […]
Joint Resolution to Provide for Annexing the Hawaiian Islands to the United States (1898)
On July 7, 1898, the Hawaiian Islands were annexed by this joint resolution. In the 1890s, the efforts of the Hawaiian people to preserve their national sovereignty and native heritage ran headlong into the unstoppable force of American expansionism. Throughout the 19th century, westerners – particularly Americans – came to dominate Hawaii’s economy and politics. […]