1215 — Magna Carta, England, signed by King John of England

1628 — Petition of Right, England, signed by King Charles I

1689 — The Bill of Rights (or The Declaration of Right), England, signed by William and Mary

1774 — Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress

1776 — Declaration of Independence

1788 — Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia refuse to ratify the Constitution of the United States without amendments protecting individual

1789 — In the First Congress, Rep. James Madison of Virginia proposed amendments to the Constitution of the United States

1790 — Congress submitted 12 amendments to the states for ratification

1791 — Ten of the 12 amendments adopted as Articles 1-X to the Constitution of the United States

1836 — House of Representatives passed a resolution to automatically table all petitions relating to slavery

1861 — Bill of Rights incorporated into the Constitution of the Confederate States of America

1894 — Coxey’s army marched from Ohio to Washington, D.C.

1940 — Thornhill v. Alabama, 310 U.S. 88

1957 — Monument erected at Runnymede, England, by American Bar Association

1963 — Edwards v. South Carolina, 372 U.S. 229

1964 — Civil Rights Act passed

1966 — Brown v. Louisiana, 383 U.S. 131

1969 — Gregory et al. v. City of Chicago, 394 U.S. 111

1980 — Brown v. Glines, 444 U.S. 348

1985 — McDonald v. Smith, 472 U.S. 479

Last updated: Thursday, September 9, 2010 | 09:15:44