1. Treaty of Paris
   Magna Carta
2. Declaration of Independence

In early 1776, founding father Thomas Jefferson put his amazing writing skills to the test by drafting the Declaration of Independence. It became one of most famous documents in human history.

1. Magna Carta
   Slave Trade Act
2. Rights of Man

In 1215, King John of England signed the Magna Carta, or Great Charter, which addressed many of the grievances attributed to his rule. It was the first time that a king signed such a remarkable document, and it made him subject to the same laws that governed his people.

1. Rosetta Stone
   The Bible
2. Magna Carta

The Magna Carta of the 13th century included a number of famous clauses. One such clause was the 39th clause, which indicated that all free men should be granted fair trials.

1. Sugar Act
   The Communist Manifesto
2. Mayflower Compact

In the 1840s, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote a political flyer called "The Communist Manifesto." This iconic document highlights the problems of class struggle and capitalism.

1. Right of Man
   Declaration of Independence
2. U.S. Constitution

Thomas Jefferson, who eventually became president, wrote the timeless phrase, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal," as part of the Declaration of Independence.

1. Beveridge report
   Stamp Act
2. Bill of Rights

Ratified in 1791, the first set of 10 U.S. constitutional amendments were called the Bill of Rights. They clarified and doubled down on the most important human rights in America.

1. U.S. Constitution
   Declaration of Independence
2. McDonald’s Dollar menu

The U.S. Constitution is the framework for law and justice in America. It provides an outline of the nation’s ideals, virtues and rules.

1. Mayflower Compact
   U.S. Constitution
2. Bill of Rights

In 1620, the Mayflower Compact created rules and guidelines for settlers at Plymouth Colony. The Compact established some freedoms for the settlers, who were sailing away from religious persecution in England.

1. Bill of Rights
   Treaty of Versailles
2. Treaty of Ghent

In 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, formally ending the catastrophe that was World War I. Notably, the treaty’s harsh terms contributed to the causes of World War II.

1. Bill of Rights
   Quartering Act
2. The Communist Manifesto

The Communist Manifesto spotlights many of the shortcomings of world power structures, particularly in capitalism. It sparked revolutions all over the world with the line, "forcible overthrow of all existing social conditions."

1. Tobacco Act
   Sugar Act
2. Salt Act

In 1764, British approved the Sugar Act, which essentiallly became the first major tax on its colonists in the New World. Taxes later became a flashpoint for the American Revolution.

1. Louisiana Purchase Treaty
   Treaty of Ghent
2. Declaration of Independence

In 1803, President Jefferson approved the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, which acquired a huge swath of land from France for $11 million. The Purchase completely changed the destiny of the young nation.

1. Beveridge report
   Mayflower Compact
2. The Communist Manifesto

The settlers arriving at the New World were devout religious types, hoping to follow their religion without interference at New Plymouth. The Mayflower Compact, thus, begins with the line, "In the name of God, amen."

1. Magna Carta
   Eighteenth Amendment
2. Treaty of Paris

In 1920, legislators ratified the Eigthteen Amendment to the Constitution, outlawing the sale of alcoholic beverages. The era lasted for nearly a decade and a half.

1. Bill of Rights
   Right of Man
2. U.S. Constitution

The Constitution notably creates rules for America, and divides the U.S. government into three branches, the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

1. The Bible
   The Communist Manifesto
2. The Manhattan Project

The Communist Manifesto begins with, "A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism." The Manifesto goes on to address the fears that political leaders have regarding communism, and espouses communism’s virtues.

1. Civil Rights Act
   Emancipation Proclamation
2. Treaty of Ghent

In 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, totally abolishing slavery in America. But the Civil War was still in full swing, meaning it would be a long while before slaves saw freedom.

1. Communist Manifesto
   Cyrus Cylinder
2. Declaration of Independence

After Cyrus the Great captured Babylon in 539 B.C., an artist created a clay cylinder — the Cyrus cylinder — touting Cyrus’ accomplishments, especially how he brought "peace" to the area.

1. Emancipation Proclamation
   Civil Rights Act
2. Volstead Act

The Eighteenth Amendment, which outlawed alcohol sales, required an enforcement tool. That’d be the Volstead Act, which spelled out the specifics of banned substances and rules for regulation.

1. Rights of Man
   Mayflower Compact
2. Magna Carta

In 1620, 41 Puritan men signed the Mayflower Compact. They agreed to hold their allegiance for the king ... but also to adhere to the Compact’s rules so that they’d all survive what they knew would be hard times in the New World.

1. Right of Man
   Declaration of Independence
2. Summa Theologica

Aquinas lived in the 13th century and he surmised that a just cause — led by a legal ruler — might be cause for legitimate war. He wrote those ideas in the Summa Theologica.

1. Magna Carta
   Declaration of Independence
2. U.S. Constitution

As America has changed, its legislators have altered, or amended, the Constitution. So far, this document has been amended 27 times.

1. Magna Carta
   The Communist Manifesto
2. Treaty of Versailles

The Communist Manifesto is obsessed with class struggle and keen on pointing out that powerful minorities always wind up oppressing the majority in a society. It wanted to help rectify this situation ... with revolution.

1. Summa Theologica
   Magna Carta
2. Bill of Rights

In the Magna Carta, several clauses bluntly attack the autocracy of the king’s powers. Within years of signing this document, King John managed to revoke many such clauses.

1. Shoe Act
   Juice Act
2. Stamp Act

The Stamp Act was a tax that charged American colonists for every printed document they used. It was such an overbearing idea that colonists were outraged ... to the point that many called for revolution.

1. Quartering Act
   Nickels Act
2. Drawn and Quartered Act

In the 1760s, Britain passed two Quartering Acts, which forced colonists to provide both food and shelter to British troops, without any real compensation. It was a misstep that added fuel to the fire of the revolutionary causes.

1. Treaty of Versailles
   Bill of Rights
2. Articles of Confederation

In late 1777, the American colonies finally settled on the Articles of Confederation as the country’s first Constitution. Later, legislators realized the document’s flaws and thus replaced it with the new U.S. Constitution.

1. Spanish-American War
   Vietnam War
2. American Revolution

The 1783 Treaty of Paris formally brought the American Revolution to a conclusion. Its signing brought major relief to Americans who had been dreaming of independence.

1. U.S. Constitution
   Summa Theologica
2. Cyrus Cylinder

The ancient Cyrus Cylinder explains how Cyrus the Great helped to rebuild Babylon (after he destroyed it), allowing cults to return and helping to rebulid structures all over the city.

1. Bush Doctrine
   Monroe Doctrine
2. Clinton Doctrine

In the 1820s, President James Monroe jumpstarted policies that made it clear — if European nations tried to take over any part of North or South America, the U.S. might see it as an act of war. It was an effective way to keep aggressive nations at bay.