After the Signing of the Declaration
"1776- White men with property can vote. Free black men can vote in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut. (The Progress Report adds -- In Maryland between 1776-1783 free black men could vote, but between 1783-1810 only those who were freed prior to 1783 were permitted to vote, and after 1810 no black men at all were allowed to vote.)" (Information from http://archive.fairvote.org/righttovote/timeline.htm)
September 17, 1787- The Constitution is signed: Four hand-written pages that give us the owners' manual to the best government the world has ever known.
December 15, 1791- Bill of Rights is finalized. It is written by James Madison and is a list of limits on government power.
January 1789- First presidential election is held-George Washington is elected.
December 6, 1865- The 13th Amendment is ratified- "With the adoption of the 13th amendment, the United States found a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery. The 13th amendment, along with the 14th and 15th, is one of the trio of Civil War amendments that greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans."
(Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40)
July 9, 1868- The 14th Amendment is ratified- "Following the Civil War, Congress submitted to the states three amendments as part of its Reconstruction program to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to black citizens. The major provision of the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” thereby granting citizenship to former slaves. Another equally important provision was the statement that “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” " (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=43)
February 3, 1870- The 15th Amendment is ratified- "To former abolitionists and to the Radical Republicans in Congress who fashioned Reconstruction after the Civil War, the 15th amendment, enacted in 1870, appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans. Set free by the 13th amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th amendment, black males were given the vote by the 15th amendment. From that point on, the freedmen were generally expected to fend for themselves. In retrospect, it can be seen that the 15th amendment was in reality only the beginning of a struggle for equality that would continue for more than a century before African Americans could begin to participate fully in American public and civic life."
(Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=44)
August 18, 1920- The 19th Amendment is ratified- "The 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution." (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=63)
July 2, 1964- The Civil Rights Act- "This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. This document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction." (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97)
Now- Americans have many rights as a result of the Declaration.
September 17, 1787- The Constitution is signed: Four hand-written pages that give us the owners' manual to the best government the world has ever known.
December 15, 1791- Bill of Rights is finalized. It is written by James Madison and is a list of limits on government power.
January 1789- First presidential election is held-George Washington is elected.
December 6, 1865- The 13th Amendment is ratified- "With the adoption of the 13th amendment, the United States found a final constitutional solution to the issue of slavery. The 13th amendment, along with the 14th and 15th, is one of the trio of Civil War amendments that greatly expanded the civil rights of Americans."
(Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=40)
July 9, 1868- The 14th Amendment is ratified- "Following the Civil War, Congress submitted to the states three amendments as part of its Reconstruction program to guarantee equal civil and legal rights to black citizens. The major provision of the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States,” thereby granting citizenship to former slaves. Another equally important provision was the statement that “nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” " (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=43)
February 3, 1870- The 15th Amendment is ratified- "To former abolitionists and to the Radical Republicans in Congress who fashioned Reconstruction after the Civil War, the 15th amendment, enacted in 1870, appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises to African Americans. Set free by the 13th amendment, with citizenship guaranteed by the 14th amendment, black males were given the vote by the 15th amendment. From that point on, the freedmen were generally expected to fend for themselves. In retrospect, it can be seen that the 15th amendment was in reality only the beginning of a struggle for equality that would continue for more than a century before African Americans could begin to participate fully in American public and civic life."
(Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=44)
August 18, 1920- The 19th Amendment is ratified- "The 19th amendment guarantees all American women the right to vote. Achieving this milestone required a lengthy and difficult struggle; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of woman suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change of the Constitution." (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=63)
July 2, 1964- The Civil Rights Act- "This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of schools and other public facilities, and made employment discrimination illegal. This document was the most sweeping civil rights legislation since Reconstruction." (Information from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=97)
Now- Americans have many rights as a result of the Declaration.