Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956
This Act established a national policy for promoting both the protection and intelligent use of fish and wildlife resources, creating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Free land in the land of the free
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862. On January 1, 1863, Daniel Freeman made the first claim under the Act, which gave citizens or...
How free is free speech?
Seven years after the Bill of Rights was ratified, guaranteeing freedom of speech, Congress passed the Sedition Act of 1798, prohibiting criticism of the Government....
Independence for the National Archives
Signed by President Ronald Reagan on October 14, 1984, Public Law 98-497 established an independent National Archives and Records Administration on April 1, 1985....
Judiciary Act of 1789
One of the first acts of the new Congress was to establish a Federal court system through the Judiciary Act, signed by President George Washington on September 24,...
Peace Corps Act
Passed in 1961, this Act formalized President John F. Kennedy’s vision of a volunteer organization to provide education and skilled manpower to developing nations....
Preserving Old Faithful
This public law created Yellowstone National Park in 1872. America’s first national park, Yellowstone is home to the geyser Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon of the...