U.S. Congress abolishes the African slave trade
The U.S. Congress passed an act to “prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States…from any foreign kingdom, place, or country.”
Nations
France becomes world’s first country to adopt universal suffrage for all men
Universal suffrage (or franchise) ensures the right to vote for as many people who are bound by a government’s laws as possible, as supported by the “one person, one vote” principle.
U.S. Bill of Rights ratified, become first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution
The Bill of Rights amendments add specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.
The United States Constitution is ratified
Today the U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution in operation in the world.
Constitutional Convention convenes in Philadelphia, marking new era of democracy
This idea formed the basis of the new U.S. Constitution, which became the law of the land in 1789.
United Kingdom formally comes together as a unified sovereign state
“What began as a hostile merger would end in a full partnership in the most powerful going concern in the world… it was one of the most astonishing transformations in European history.”
English lumber harvesters found Belize Town
Belize Town eventually became Belize City which now is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras.
San Marino officially adopts world’s first constitution
San Marino’s constitution is the world’s oldest, having been first written in the year 1600.
The Union of Lublin formally establishes the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dual state, a bi-confederation of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was one of the largest and most populous countries of 16th- to 17th-century Europe.
The reign of Gustav I marks the beginnings of the modern Swedish state
Gustav Vasa fought for an independent Sweden, crushing an attempt to restore the Union of Kalmar and laying the foundation for modern Sweden