Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, born on April 13 (From the official presidential portrait by Rembrandt Peale, 1800)
The following is a list of dates of interest to
Libertarians in 2018, compiled by Dr. James
Lark, Libertarian National Committee
regional representative and former LNC chair.
| January | |
| 6 | Pres. Franklin Roosevelt delivers his “Four Freedoms” speech. (1941) |
| 15 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day |
| 16 | Ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (alcohol prohibition) (1919) |
| 17 | Prohibition takes effect (1920). Note: Some sources list Jan. 16, 1920 as the date the 18th Amendment took effect. Other sources note that the enabling legislation passed by Congress (the Volstead Act) took effect as of midnight on Jan. 17, 1920.U.S. citizens prohibited from owning gold certificates (1934). |
| 19 | Birthday of Lysander Spooner (1808) |
| 21 | Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission (2010) |
| 21–27 |
National School Choice Week (SchoolChoiceWeek.com) |
| 27 | Melvin Laird (Secretary of Defense) announces the ending of the military draft (1973) |
| 30 | State of the Union address |
| February | |
| 3 | Ratification of the 16th Amendment (income tax) (1913) |
| 19 | Presidents’ Day, observed. Suggestion: Distribute a press release describing the requirements for a good president from a Libertarian perspective. |
| 20 | Congress proposes the 21st Amendment for state ratification (1933). |
| March | |
| 1 | Ratification of the Articles of Confederation (1781) |
| 9 | Pres. Franklin Roosevelt’s Emergency Banking Act passed (1933). |
| 16 | Liberty Day (birthday of James Madison in 1751) |
| 19 | Start of second U.S. war against Iraq (2003) |
| 20 | U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003)
Theodora “Tonie” Nathan passes away. (2014) |
| 23 |
Patrick Henry delivers his “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. (1775) |
| April | |
| 1 | Pres. Franklin Roosevelt signs Executive Order 6102, prohibiting gold ownership by citizens. (1933) |
| 7 | National Beer Day (Cullen-Harrison Act enacted, allowing sale of “low-alcohol” beer prior to end of Prohibition) (1933) |
| 13 | Birthday of Thomas Jefferson (1743) (New Style calendar) |
| 15 | Protests begin in Tiananmen Square (Beijing, China), (1989) |
| 16 | Emancipation Day celebrated in Washington, D.C. (Signing of Compensated Emancipation Act by Pres. Lincoln in 1862; celebrated on Apr. 16, except when that day falls on a Saturday or Sunday.) Patriots’ Day (commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775) celebrated in Massachusetts. |
| 17 | Tax Day (federal income taxes due for most Americans) |
| 19 | Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 |
| 20 | “420” or “4/20” (vocalized as “four twenty”): Several organizations that oppose Drug Prohibition conduct events today. |
| 22 | Earth Day |
| 25 | Supreme Court decision in United States vs. Carolene Products (1938) Allowed greater latitude for Congress to regulate commerce under the Commerce Clause. |
| May | |
| 3 | World Press Freedom Day |
| 19 | Armed Forces Day, observed (celebrated on the third Saturday in May) |
| 24 | Supreme Court decision in Helvering vs. Davis (1937) Allowed Congress to interpret “general welfare” broadly; Social Security doesn’t violate 10th Amendment. |
| 25 | Birthday of Karl Hess (1923) |
| 27 | Supreme Court decision in Schechter vs. U.S. (1935) National Recovery Act ruled unconstitutional. |
| 28 | Memorial Day, observed |
| 31 | Passage of Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Resolutions, supposedly the first local resolutions supporting independence; declared British laws null and void (1775) |
| June | |
| 5 | Birthday of Adam Smith in 1723 (Old Style calendar) |
| 12 | Formal adoption by Virginia Constitutional Convention of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason (1776) |
| 14 | Peter McWilliams passes away (author of Ain’t Nobody’s Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in Our Free Society). (2000) |
| 15 | Magna Carta agreed to by King John. (1215) Note: Evidently a formal document was created to record the agreement on July 15, 1215. |
| 16 | New Deal announced. (1933)
Birthday of Adam Smith in 1723 (New Style calendar) |
| 17 | Pres. Richard Nixon’s War on Drugs initiated. (1971)
Watergate break-in (1972) |
| 18 | Congress passes the Naturalization Act. (1798) |
| 19 | “Juneteenth” celebration (announcement in Texas of the end of slavery) (1865) |
| 21 | New Hampshire ratifies the U.S. Constitution (thus making it the “law of the land”). (1788) |
| 23 | Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. City of New London (Conn.) (2005) |
| 25 | Birthday of George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) (1903)
Congress passes the Alien Act. (1798) |
| 26 | Tenth anniversary of Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia vs. Heller, which held that there is an individual right under the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms for self-defense (2008) |
| 27 | Passage of the National Labor Relations Act, also known as the Wagner Act (1935) |
| 28 | Supreme Court decision in McDonald vs. Chicago, which held that the Second Amendment is incorporated under the Fourteenth Amendment (2010)
Supreme Court decision in “Obamacare” case(s) (2012) |
| July | |
| 2 | Vote by Congress to declare independence from Great Britain (1776) |
| 3 | Decriminalization Day (official holiday for victimless “criminals” celebrated since 1976, America’s bicentennial) |
| 4 | American Independence Day: Declaration of Independence approved by Congress (1776)
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) signed (1966) |
| 6 | Congress approves the Alien Enemies Act. (1798) |
| 7 | Birthday of Robert Heinlein, science fiction writer (1907) |
| 14 | Pres. John Adams signs the Sedition Act. (1798) |
| 22 | Bretton Woods Agreements signed by Bretton Woods Conference participants. (1944) The agreements established rules and procedures for regulation of the international monetary system, along with institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. |
| 31 | U.S. Congress ratifies Bretton Woods Agreements Act. (1945) |
| August | |
| 5 | Pres. Lincoln signs the Revenue Act of 1861, which imposed a tax upon income. (1861) |
| 15 | Imposition of wage and price controls, along with suspension of convertibility of the U.S. dollar into gold on international markets (“closing the gold window”), by Pres. Richard Nixon (1971)
Public Law 93-373 passes, which legalizes private ownership of gold. (1974) |
| 27 | Revenue Act of 1894 becomes law. (1894) Also known as Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act; it reduced tariffs, but instituted an income tax that was found unconstitutional in 1895. |
| 29 | Individual Rights Day (celebration of the birthday of John Locke in 1632) |
| September | |
| 3 | Labor Day (as celebrated in the U.S.) |
| 5 | Jury Rights Day (FIJA.org/jury-rights-day) |
| 11 | Anniversary of the “9/11” terrorist attacks (known by some as “Patriot Day”) (2001) |
| 16 | Pres. Franklin Roosevelt signs the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (possibly the first ever peacetime conscription). (1940) |
| 17 | Constitution Day (the U.S. Constitution signed by delegates to Philadelphia convention in 1787) |
| 21 | International Day of Peace (sometimes known as “World Peace Day”) |
| 23–29 | Banned Books Week |
| 25 | Congress approves 12 amendments to the Constitution and sends amendments to states for ratification. (1789) |
| October |
|
| 1 | Beginning of the federal government’s 2018 fiscal year |
| 3 | Pres. Woodrow Wilson signs the Revenue Act of 1913, re-imposing the federal income tax. (1913) |
| 14 | Pres. Jimmy Carter legalizes the home brewing of beer. (1978) |
| 21 | Revenue Act of 1942 passes. (1942) Among other things, the Act imposed a so-called Victory tax of 5 percent on individual income over $624 per year. |
| 22 | Fiftieth anniversary of Pres. Lyndon Johnson’s signing the Gun Control Act of 1968 (1968) |
| 25 | Pres. Jimmy Carter signs the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. (1978) Note: Powers under the Act were expanded under the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act. |
| 26 | Passage of the U.S.A. PATRIOT Act (2001)
Passage of the Bank Secrecy Act (1970) |
| 28 | Resistance to the Townshend Acts (1767)
The Statue of Liberty was unveiled and dedicated. (1886) Passage of the National Prohibition Act, known as the Volstead Act (1919) |
| 29 | Samuel Adams writes the Massachusetts Resolves. (1765) |
| November | |
| 6 | Election Day |
| 9 | Supreme Court decision in Wickard vs. Filburn, which greatly expanded Congressional power to regulate economic activity (1942) |
| 15 | Articles of Confederation approved by Continental Congress (1777) Note: The Articles were not ratified until March 1, 1781. |
| 16 | International Day for Tolerance
First Kentucky Resolution is passed by the Kentucky legislature. (1798) |
| 21 | Libertarian Party cofounder David Nolan passes away. (2010) |
| 22 | Thanksgiving |
| December | |
| 3 | The Second Kentucky Resolution is passed by the Kentucky legislature. (1799) |
| 5 | Ratification of 21st Amendment (repeal of Prohibition) (1933) |
| 6 | Ratification of 13th Amendment (end of chattel slavery) (1865) |
| 10 | Supreme Court decision in McConnell vs. Federal Election Commission, which ruled that most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was constitutional (2003)
Human Rights Day, observed |
| 11 | Anniversary of founding of the Libertarian Party (1971)
Birthday of George Mason (1725) |
| 15 | Bill of Rights Day (date of ratification of the Bill of Rights) (1791) |
| 18 | Passage by congress of the 18th Amendment (1917)
Supreme Court decision in Korematsu vs. United States, which ruled that Executive Order 9066 (putting Americans of Japanese heritage into internment camps during World War II) was constitutional (1944) |
| 23 | Pres. Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act. (1913) |
| 24 | The Virginia legislature passes the Virginia Resolution (authored by James Madison). (1798) |
| 26 | The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ceases to exist. (1991) |
| 27 | Signing of Flushing Remonstrance concerning religious liberty (1657) |
| 31 | Private ownership of gold by U.S. citizens becomes legal again. (1974) |
