Probably not the most important but these kinds of things come to mind.

The infamous fog that saved the Continental Army August 29, 1776 at the Battle of Long Island. I get chills thinking about what that was like.

This:

BQ_90 said:

---

When George Washington stepped down as POTUS; that showed that this country was not going to be a monarchy or military dictatorship. He could have easily kept power for the rest of his life he wanted to.

---

This is a good one. His not running for a third term was key since he died within 3 years. It's not to say that he would have died in office but had he died in office, that could have been game over.

PA24 said:

---

San Jacinto

Give 'em hell Sam!

---

While Houston's overall strategy of extending the supply lines of the enemy and reducing his won the war, he was effectively along for the ride from April 19-21, 1836.

The Declaration of Independence was the most important moment in our history. Louisiana purchase has to be up there as well.

WBBQ74 said:

---

The election of Woodrow Wilson as president.

The triple trifecta of the FED, the IRS, and the direct election of US senators (Constitutional amendments around 1913, pre WW1). Throw in the impetus towards prohibition, too.

1. The FED was the creation of the Third Bank of the United States. Moving the USA towards fiat money supply.

2. The IRS shifted the funding of the federal government away from states collecting/paying tariffs (Simplifying the protocol) towards individual taxation with withholding payroll taxes beginning in WWII. Lobbying to rig the byzantine IRS tax code became a giant cancer upon our country.

3. The Constitution originally had US Representatives elected by the people every 2 years so that the House would reflect 'current' public opinion AND the States to elect thru their legislatures Senators to represent the State's interest in DC. Two very different missions/tasks. Direct election of Senators broke that concept and, along with the change in funding via the IRS, made appropriating/obligating funding towards Federal programs/projects riper fruit for lobbyists.

Prohibition helped out #2 get established. No legal sale of alcohol? No tariff money collected, which during the pre IRS years was a substantial percentage of Federal income. Why were early ATF agents called 'Revenuers'?

There were other more visual important events during the history of the USA but these 3 changed America insidiously in ways that affect each of us to this day. We likely cannot put the genie back in the bottle but perhaps an Article 5(?) Convention of the States can fix all this. Our current path is unsustainable. We will see.

---

I was coming here to post exactly this.

The election of the odious Woodrow Wilson is singularly the worst thing that has ever befallen this country.

WBBQ74 said:

---

The election of Woodrow Wilson as president.

The triple trifecta of the FED, the IRS, and the direct election of US senators (Constitutional amendments around 1913, pre WW1). Throw in the impetus towards prohibition, too.

1. The FED was the creation of the Third Bank of the United States. Moving the USA towards fiat money supply.

2. The IRS shifted the funding of the federal government away from states collecting/paying tariffs (Simplifying the protocol) towards individual taxation with withholding payroll taxes beginning in WWII. Lobbying to rig the byzantine IRS tax code became a giant cancer upon our country.

3. The Constitution originally had US Representatives elected by the people every 2 years so that the House would reflect 'current' public opinion AND the States to elect thru their legislatures Senators to represent the State's interest in DC. Two very different missions/tasks. Direct election of Senators broke that concept and, along with the change in funding via the IRS, made appropriating/obligating funding towards Federal programs/projects riper fruit for lobbyists.

Prohibition helped out #2 get established. No legal sale of alcohol? No tariff money collected, which during the pre IRS years was a substantial percentage of Federal income. Why were early ATF agents called 'Revenuers'?

There were other more visual important events during the history of the USA but these 3 changed America insidiously in ways that affect each of us to this day. We likely cannot put the genie back in the bottle but perhaps an Article 5(?) Convention of the States can fix all this. Our current path is unsustainable. We will see.

---

You and I see things vastly different. As the Father of modern Progressivism, I'd steer clear of giving praise to anything Woodrow Wilson has done.

Edit: I might have misread your intent....

pagerman @ work said:

---

WBBQ74 said:

---

The election of Woodrow Wilson as president.

The triple trifecta of the FED, the IRS, and the direct election of US senators (Constitutional amendments around 1913, pre WW1). Throw in the impetus towards prohibition, too.

1. The FED was the creation of the Third Bank of the United States. Moving the USA towards fiat money supply.

2. The IRS shifted the funding of the federal government away from states collecting/paying tariffs (Simplifying the protocol) towards individual taxation with withholding payroll taxes beginning in WWII. Lobbying to rig the byzantine IRS tax code became a giant cancer upon our country.

3. The Constitution originally had US Representatives elected by the people every 2 years so that the House would reflect 'current' public opinion AND the States to elect thru their legislatures Senators to represent the State's interest in DC. Two very different missions/tasks. Direct election of Senators broke that concept and, along with the change in funding via the IRS, made appropriating/obligating funding towards Federal programs/projects riper fruit for lobbyists.

Prohibition helped out #2 get established. No legal sale of alcohol? No tariff money collected, which during the pre IRS years was a substantial percentage of Federal income. Why were early ATF agents called 'Revenuers'?

There were other more visual important events during the history of the USA but these 3 changed America insidiously in ways that affect each of us to this day. We likely cannot put the genie back in the bottle but perhaps an Article 5(?) Convention of the States can fix all this. Our current path is unsustainable. We will see.

---

I was coming here to post exactly this.

The election of the odious Woodrow Wilson is singularly the worst thing that has ever befallen this country.

---

While I agree wholeheartedly with this take on Woodrow Wilson, I have to give the edge to Dropping the bomb on Hiroshima as the most important event. This event brought the world into the nuclear age and makes moot most other arguments of government over reach in comparison to our ability to annihilate the human species.

The Civil War.

Whether you are of the opinion that it was a "War of Emancipation" or a "War of Northern Aggression" there is no denying the massive impact the conflict had on the US.

h

96AgGrad said:

---

I think it was when the black obelisk appeared which helped one tribe of apes kill the other tribe using primitive weapons.

---

Nah, I think it was start of Robot Emancipation when they told HAL to open the pod bay doors and Hal told them to F off !!

Trumps presidency exposing how deep the establishment really is

NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp (1937)
Congress has the authority to regulate intrastate activities that significantly affect interstate commerce, directly or indirectly.

My Dad survived WW2.

October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men to General George Washington at Yorktown, giving up any chance of winning the Revolutionary War.

Creation of the US Constitution

Aggie Infantry said:

---

The worst event thread got me to thinking (in spite of warnings from The Rib)...

What was the most important event/date for US history?

My entry is the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Yes, you read that right. If the Spanish had won, they would have colonized all of the New World. Since the English came out on top, they were able to colonize N. America. A Spanish colonization would have created a political climate like much of Central and South America.

---

July 4, 1863

both the battle of Gettysburg and the siege of Vicksburg ended on the same day with two massive Union victories.

Urban Ag said:

---

I agree that the revolution and declaration were certainly at the top of the list watershed moments/eras.

But D-Day was literally America's pinnacle. The poor sons of the immigrants that left the old world in search of better in the new came back to the old to settle their differences for them in a statement beyond. Epic in world history, not just American.

We left on wood ships with what we would could carry. We came back in Higgins boats back up by battleships with B17's overhead. Impressive.

---

And not to mention launching an invasion 1/2 to 3/4 the size of overlord across the world a week later at Saipan

Hard to say any one thing is the most important because one can look at any major event and tie it into how the country was shaped.

The Lexington and Concord battle where the British had orders to seize firearms and powder could be argued to be up there, because it is one of the major events that ultimately sparked the revolution.

The Louisiana purchase is a major event because it doubled the size of the country and removed French concerns essentially from the north american continent. The Mexican war was a major event because it both established the US as an actual world power, the dominant power in the western hemisphere and added a huge amount of land to the country. WONA was a huge one, as were a lot of others. The Alaskan purchase is a huge one - imagine our life if the cold war had gone on with Russia owning Alaska, and imagine the lack of resources (oil) that we would not have without it.

Not one single event, but the progressive period when Wilson was elected through FDR's near dictatorship is probably the single biggest period IMO, at least the one that changed us as a country the most that we still feel the effects of today.

ScapeGOAT said:

---

People who say "The Rib"

---

Well, it is a biblical reference. I kid, I kid...

wbt5845 said:

---

Emancipation Proclamation.

It's when we finally took the Declaration of Independence seriously.

---

The Emancipation didn't free any slaves and Lincoln hated the constitution. HTH.

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Probably not the most important but these kinds of things come to mind.

The infamous fog that saved the Continental Army August 29, 1776 at the Battle of Long Island. I get chills thinking about what that was like.

---

Have you listened / read to a book called "1776" by David McCullough? Sounds like it would be right up your alley. The whole book is basically correspondence between Washington and his generals with some English correspondence mixed in. Very inspiring.

You did

A few that come to mind. These are all important days in a positive or negative way

The British surrender at Yorktown, which made the dream of individual liberty a reality.

The victory at San Jacinto. This effectively crippled Mexico and ended their visions of expansion, and the western 3rd of the continental US became the future for America instead of the future for Mexico. This is one of the most impactful battles in world history.

Pearl Harbor Day. Not a great day, but certainly an important one, as it brought the US into WWII.

V-J Day, when Japan surrendered ending WWII. This date marked the beginning of the US as the world's superpower, and a period of tremendous economic growth and technology advancement specifically in the US, but also across the globe once war destroyed countries had been rebuilt.

It is quite obvious the Life and Death of Jesus Christ.

Had he not existed and died for our sins creating the World's Largest Religion: Christianity. We would still be having wars between the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The US would NOT EXIST had Jesus not existed.

Plus, many traveled to the "New World" to flee religious persecution as a Christian.

So there you have it: Jesus Christ.

Isn't it amazing that he is LITERALLY at the CENTER OF IT ALL.

Aggie Infantry said:

---

The worst event thread got me to thinking (in spite of warnings from The Rib)...

What was the most important event/date for US history?

My entry is the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Yes, you read that right. If the Spanish had won, they would have colonized all of the New World. Since the English came out on top, they were able to colonize N. America. A Spanish colonization would have created a political climate like much of Central and South America.

---

When Coors beer could be bought in Texas …instead of hauling home cases from CO

May 25, 1977

Pookers said:

---

10andBOUNCE said:

---

Probably not the most important but these kinds of things come to mind.

The infamous fog that saved the Continental Army August 29, 1776 at the Battle of Long Island. I get chills thinking about what that was like.

---

Have you listened / read to a book called "1776" by David McCullough? Sounds like it would be right up your alley. The whole book is basically correspondence between Washington and his generals with some English correspondence mixed in. Very inspiring.

---

Yes sir. Great read.

WW1 and WW2 set up the US for a century of military and economic dominance. Most of the modern world in ruins and removed nearly all rivals.

The day the petro-dollar became the world currency.

nortex97 said:

---

The events in the Shenandoah Valley that allowed Lincoln to be the first POTUS re-elected since 1832.

Tough to break down a singular decision, but I err on the side of thinking O'Rorke/Chamberlain/Warren in any case were in fact the key to the battle's outcome, which was decisive to America's subsequent history, for better or worse...

---

Nortex- great calls.

You mention events in the Shenandoah Valley, I assume you are referring to the Fall 1864 campaigns of Winchester, Fishers Hill, Cedar Creek and Toms Creek?

I have been working on a book about 19 September 1864 Third Winchester for about 1.5 years now.

United States history began with the Congress of the United States established by the new Constitution met for the first time at New York City's Federal Hall on March 4, 1789.

This is my vote for most important event.

It terms of US history, the Bill of Rights. The federalists argued that by defining them that we'd be limiting natural rights. However what has become extremely evident looking at the rest of the world is that without those words etched into the foundation of our government we'd be trampled underfoot by modern tyrants by now(look at Canada where they're outlawing all guns and promoting euthanasia liberally). What's sad is that the one fault with the Bill of Rights is that it isn't clear enough, "living and breathing interpretation" finds meaning where there is none and gives our own government a mile of rope to slowly creep tyranny into our lives. The 10th amendment should have the size of our federal government shrunk down by an order of magnitude, but it's "interpreted" to mean the opposite.

There are five major events in US history had they not occurred the WORLD would not be as it is today.

1. Winning the revolutionary war against the British.
2. Louisiana purchase
3. San Jacinto
4. Civil War
5. Purchase of Alaska from the Russians.

The war of 1812 was very important also.

Point here is the US would not be the power it is today without being coast to coast as well as having Texas and California.

LMCane said:

---

nortex97 said:

---

The events in the Shenandoah Valley that allowed Lincoln to be the first POTUS re-elected since 1832.

Tough to break down a singular decision, but I err on the side of thinking O'Rorke/Chamberlain/Warren in any case were in fact the key to the battle's outcome, which was decisive to America's subsequent history, for better or worse...

---

Nortex- great calls.

You mention events in the Shenandoah Valley, I assume you are referring to the Fall 1864 campaigns of Winchester, Fishers Hill, Cedar Creek and Toms Creek?

I have been working on a book about 19 September 1864 Third Winchester for about 1.5 years now.

---

This series with is sort of what I was thinking about, really. Yes, the whole fall of 64 campaign(s) are fascinating, including the (tragic) politics on both sides.



The park service guys do a good job too of course (various places).

Jocko Willick has a series out this month on spotify with JD Baker that is dangerously addictive (they are fun to listen to), imho, and as JD apparently lives around there nowadays the perspective from two modern warfighters is really fascinating vs. the dry/story tellers a la Park rangers/Ken Burns I am more used to...there's plenty out there on it I know, and I'm no expert but the depth/availability nowadays of walk throughs/explanations is so much better for the non-professionals like me, it is great.

The Declaration of Independence and the subsequent American founding was a radical departure from the status quo at the time, but it had to be followed up with Washington stepping down, and to a lesser extent Adams accepting his loss for a second term. The American people would have accepted Washington as King for life. Now having (classical) liberal democratic rule is the status quo for most of the world.

Washington stepping down is probably the most consequential event of American History. I would say the Civil War and the civil rights marches of the 60's were trying to right the wrongs of the founding that were left undone, but neither is possible without Washington stepping down after 8 years and cementing this new radical form of government.