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Acts in US History
Act title, Year, and description of Acts in US History
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Act of Toleration - 1649 | Act proposed by Cecilius Calvert(Lord Baltimore) to allow for toleration of both Protestants & Catholics in Maryland |
| Halfway Covenant - 1622 | Act loosening the requirements for church membership in Puritan Massachusetts |
| Proclamation of 1763 | Act passed by British Parliament restricting colonial settlement to land east of the Appalachian Mountains |
| Stamp Act - 1765 | Direct tax placed on the American colonies by British Parliament -led to one of the 1st organized protests |
| Townshend Acts- 1767 | Series of taxes place on colonies to pay for continued occupation by British troops |
| Intolerable Acts - 1774 | Series of 4 acts to punish the city of Boston for the damage caused by the Boston Tea Party |
| Quebec Act - 1774 | Established Catholicism as the official religion of the Quebec region which included: Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan,Wisconsin, & Minnesota |
| Land Ordinance - 1785 | Passed by the Article of Confederation Congress, it established an orderly method for surveying & selling western land- Townships & Homesteads |
| Northwest Ordinance - 1787 | Passed by the Article of Confederation Congress, it established the method by which a new territory could join the union as states |
| Alien & Sedition Acts - 1798 | Series of acts sponsored by the Federalists imposing severe restrictions on aliens out of fear of treason. Attempt to limit power of Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party |
| Embargo Act- 1807 | Forbade US maritime trade with foreign nations- signed by Jefferson in order to maintain American neutrality during the Napoleonic Wars |
| Non-Intercourse Act - 1809 | Repealed the Embargo Act with regards to all nations except Britain & France |
| Missouri Compromise - 1820 | Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state preserving sectional balance- set the southern border of Missouri as the future between slave & free states - provision was ruled unconstitutional by the Dred Scott decision of 1857 |
| Tariff of 1828 | AKA Tariff of Abominations, opposition led to the resignation of John C. Calhoun as Vice President |
| Indian Removal Act - 1830 | Andrew Jackson's forcible removal of the Five Civilized Tribes from the south - Trail of Tears |
| Compromise of 1850 | Series of 5 laws intended to compromise on the issue of slavery in the lands acquired after the Mexican War. California was admitted as a free state |
| Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1862 | Provided for the admission of Kansas & Nebraska with or without slavery, repealed the Missouri Compromise |
| Homestead Act - 1862 | Provided for the distribution of western lands to US citizens. Homesteaders were given 160 acres of free land in exchange for a pledge to “improve” the land within five years. |
| Wade-Davis Bill- 1864 | Radical Reconstruction plan passed by Congressional Republicans but later vetoed by Lincoln. The plan called for 50% of citizens of reconstructed states to take an oath swearing that they never supported the Confederacy. |
| Tenure of Office Act- 1868 | Prohibited the president from removing officials properly appointed by the Senate. Andrew Johnson violated this leading to his impeachment. |
| Bland-Allison Act - 1878 | Required the Treasury to monthly, limited purchases of silver for coinage. Congress was required to purchase between $2 and $4 Million worth of silver. The act was later replaced by the 1890 Sherman Silver Purchase Act. |
| Chinese Exclusion Act - 1882 | A reversal of the 1868 Burlingame Treaty, this act prohibited the immigration from China. |
| Pendleton Act - 1883 | Provided for the objective appointment of civil service positions on the basis of merit. The Pendleton Act was sparked by the assassination of James Garfield. |
| Interstate Commerce Act - 1887 | Created the Interstate Commerce Commission and forced all railway charges to be fair and reasonable. The act’s passage was a response to protests from farmer’s groups. |
| Sherman Antitrust Act - 1890 | Authorized the federal government to dissolve a trust. The act was weak, and was even used to restrict the power of labor unions. |
| Sherman Silver Purchase Act - 1890 | Replaced the Bland-Allison Act; required the treasury to purchase 4.5 million ounces of silver at market value per month |
| Foraker Act - 1900 | Established the government of the newly acquired territory of Puerto Rico. The Insular Cases declared that citizenship was not automatically bestowed upon people in newly acquired territories |
| Pure Food and Drug Act - 1906 | Forbade the manufacture, sale, or transportation of "adulterated" or mislabeled foods or drugs in interstate commerce. This was a direct response to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. |
| Meat Inspection Act - 1906 | Aimed to eliminate the dangerous and unsanitary conditions in the meat-packing industry. This was a direct response to Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle. |
| Clayton Antitrust Act - 1914 | Strengthened the Sherman Antitrust Act, was more specific as to what actions constituted a "trust". |
| Espionage Act - 1917 | Provided severe penalties for persons found guilty of aiding the enemy or refusal to serve in the US military. |
| Volstead Act - 1919 | Provided for the enforcement of the 18th Amendment (Prohibition) |
| Adjusted Compensation Act - 1924 | Provided for the payment of adjusted compensation (bonus) to all veterans of WWI. It was payment of this bonus that the Bonus Army was after when they marched on Washington(1931) |
| Hawley-Smoot Tariff - 1930 | Sharp increase of tariff rates on more than 20,000 imported goods. Most economists blame the this tariff with sinking the U.S. deeper into the Depression. |
| Reconstruction Finance Corporation - 1932 | An attempt by Herbert Hoover to address the problems of the Great Depression by giving billions of dollars in loans to banks and businesses. The act was criticized because it did not give direct relief to the poor. |
| Norris-LaGuardia Act - 1932 | Also known as the “Anti-Injunction Act”, it barred federal courts from issuing injunctions to halt labor disputes. The act also outlawed the “yellow-dog contract”. |
| National Industrial Recovery Act - 1933 | Created the National Recovery Administration (NRA) & the Public Works Administration (PWA). |
| Federal Emergency Relief Act - 1933 | Created the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) to aid the states through grants |
| Agricultural Adjustment Act - 1933 | Established the Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA) which paid farmers subsidies to farm less land and therefore drive crop prices up. |
| Glass-Steagall Act - 1933 | Created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for guaranteeing individual bank deposits |
| Wagner Act - 1935 | Also known as the National Labor Relations Act, created the National Labor Relations Board |
| Lend-Lease Act - 1941 | Enabled any country whose defense is deemed necessary to the nation to acquire arms and other war supplies from the US. |
| Taft-Hartley Act - 1947 | Passed over Truman’s veto, this act heavily restricted the actions of Unions including banning the "closed shop" and forbidding union contributions to political campaigns. Allowed the federal government to apply for injunctions to stop strikes. |
| National Security Act - 1947 | Combined all military departments into a single department, Defense. James Forrestal was the first Secretary of Defense |
| Civil Rights Act - 1964 | Among other provisions, it outlawed discrimination in employment on the basis of race, religion, or sex. It created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate claims of discrimination. |
| Voting Rights Act - 1965 | Eliminated literacy and other tests as requirements for voting |
| Occupational Safety and Health Act - 1970 | OSHA mandated that employers provide employment "free from recognized hazards to employees" |
| War Powers Act - 1973 | Set a sixty day limit on the presidential commitment of troops to hostilities abroad without Congressional approval. |
| Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act- 1985 | Required Congress to balance the budget. |
| McCain-Feingold Act - 2002 | Regulates campaign financing. Specifically, it targets “soft money” contributions and “issue ads” not financed by a specific candidate. |
| National Environmental Policy Act - 1969 | Protection of the environment |
| Medicare and Medicaid Act - 1965 | Medical care for the elderly and poor |
| Sedition Act - 1918 | Piece of legislation designed to protect America's participation in World War I. |
| Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act - 2000 | Federal law enforcement funds by States to improve the criminal justice system related to the protection of children, including protection against child sexual abuse, and placement of children in foster care |
| Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - 2010 | To amend the Public Health Service Act in order to provide better health-care coverage for all Americans, improve health-care services for under-served communities, and for other purposes. |
| No Child Left Behind - 2001 | Improve the performance of America’s elementary and secondary schools while at the same time ensuring that no child is trapped in a failing school. |
| USA Patriot Act - 2001 | Strengthen domestic security and broaden the powers of law-enforcement agencies with regards to identifying and stopping terrorists - created after World Trade Center attacks |
| North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act - 1993 | Created the world’s largest free trade zone - Canada, United States, & Mexico |
| Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act - 1993 | Required a background check before the purchase of a handgun and establishing a National Instant Check System |
| Bankruptcy Act - 2005 | The first major overhaul of bankruptcy in 27 years limits individuals from seeking bankruptcy and thereby erasing debt. New costs imposed for those seeking bankruptcy. |
| Family and Medical Leave Act - 1993 | Enabled millions of workers to take up to 12 weeks unpaid leave to care for a new baby or ailing family member without jeopardizing their job. |
| Violence Against Women Act - 1994 | stablished a nationwide 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline. This initiative represents the first federal effort to address domestic violence and violence against women. |
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