From: James W. Lark, III
Region 5S Representative, Libertarian National Committee
Subject: List of Events and Dates in 2014
To assist our outreach efforts, I have prepared a list of events and dates to which the LP may wish to draw attention in 2014. It may be useful for LPHQ to issue press releases (or refer to these events in our releases), help provide representatives for media interviews, and assist state and local affiliates in outreach efforts on or about some of these dates.
In some of the entries listed below, I have included supplemental information and suggestions for your consideration. I hope you find this material to be helpful.
Several of the events are included because I know something about them, or because I suspect they will be of special interest to libertarians. Some of the events and dates have been included at the suggestion (or request) of LP colleagues. (A few are included because I stumbled upon information about them while looking for other information.) Thus, inclusion of an event does not imply I believe the event is especially important or that the LP should commemorate it in some manner. Similarly, failure to include an event does not imply I consider it to be unimportant or unworthy of commemoration.
I have endeavored to verify the accuracy of many of the listed items; however, in some cases I have used Wikipedia or other web resources. Thus, if you use information from the list, you should seek to verify the accuracy of the dates and associated information.
Please note also that I shall send this document to my LNC colleagues and the State Chairs’ e-mail list. I hope LNC members and State Chairs’ list subscribers will review the list and offer suggestions about additional events and dates (along with any corrections that should be made).
As you probably know, several websites provide information about events that took place on a given day. (I don’t know which sites are the most accurate.) These websites include:
www.datesinhistory.com/
www.brainyhistory.com
www.hisdates.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historical_anniversaries
www.itnsource.com/en/specials/anniversaries
www.brownielocks.com/month2.html
The website www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference-Shelf/Calendars.shtml may also be helpful to you.
It is not known at this time on what dates the following events will occur during 2014:
Tax Freedom Day (http://taxfoundation.org/tax-topics/tax-freedom-day) (on April 18 in 2013)
Cost of Government Day (see http://costofgovernment.org/congratulations-america-cost-government-finally-arrives-a1710) (on July 13 in 2013)
It should be noted that unlike 2013, as far as I am aware there are relatively few “big anniversaries” in 2014. “Big anniversaries” are those that are multiples of five years (especially multiples of ten years), such as the 25th anniversary, 50th anniversary, 100th anniversary, etc.
January:
6: FDR delivers his “Four Freedoms” speech (1941)
16: Ratification of the 18th Amendment (1919)
17: 18th Amendment takes effect (1920)
19: Birthday of Lysander Spooner (1808)
20: Martin Luther King Day
21: Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs Federal Election Commission case (2010)
26 (through Feb. 1): National School Choice Week (www.schoolchoiceweek.com)
27: Melvin Laird (Secretary of Defense) announces end of the draft (1973)
28: 2014 State of the Union address
February:
13: Ratification of the 16th Amendment (1913)
17: Presidents’ Day (Suggestion: Distribute a press release describing the requirements for a good president from a Libertarian perspective.) Congress passes 21st Amendment (1933)
March:
1: Ratification of Articles of Confederation (1781)
9: FDR’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)
April:
5: FDR signs Exec. Order 6012 prohibiting gold ownership by citizens (1933)
15: Tax Day; protests in Tiananmen Square begin (1989)
16: Emancipation Day (celebrated in Washington, DC; signing of Compensated Emancipation Act by Pres. Lincoln in 1862).
19: Patriots’ Day (Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775). (See note below concerning April 21.)
20: “Drug Awareness Day” (Organizations opposing Drug Prohibition conduct events this day.)
21: Patriots’ Day (see April 19) celebrated in Massachusetts on April 21, 2014.
22: Earth Day
25: Supreme Court decision in United States vs Carolene Products (allowed greater latitude for Congress to regulate commerce under the Commerce Clause) (1938)
May:
3: World Press Freedom Day
19: Armed Forces Day
24: Supreme Court decision in Helvering vs Davis (allowed Congress to interpret “general welfare” broadly; Social Security doesn’t violate 10th amendment) (1937)
25: Birthday of Karl Hess (1923)
26: Memorial Day
27: Supreme Court decision in Schechter vs US (National Recovery Act ruled unconstitutional) (1935)
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)
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 (New style calendar)
17: Nixon’s War on Drugs initiated (1971). Watergate break-in (1972)
18: Congress passes Naturalization Act (1798)
19: “Juneteenth” celebration (Announcement in Texas of the end of slavery) (1865)
21: Constitution ratified by New Hampshire (thus making it the “law of the land”) (1788)
23: Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs City of New London (2005)
25: Birthday of George Orwell (Eric Blair) (1903). Congress passes Alien Act (1798)
26: Supreme Court decision in District of Columbia vs Heller (ruled 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, known as the “Wagner Act” (1935)
28: Supreme Court decision in McDonald vs Chicago (ruled that the Second Amendment is incorporated under the Fourteenth Amendment). Supreme Court decision in “Obamacare” case (2012)
July:
2: Vote by Congress to declare independence from Great Britain (1776). Congress passes 16th Amendment (1909)
3: Decriminalization Day (celebrated since 1976?)
4: Independence Day: Declaration of Independence approved by Congress (1776)
6: Congress approves Alien Enemies Act (1798)
7: Birthday of Robert Heinlein (1907)
14: Pres. John Adams signs the Sedition Act (1798)
31: U.S. Congress ratifies Bretton Woods Agreements Act (1945)
August:
15: Imposition of wage and price controls by Richard Nixon (1971). Private ownership of gold legalized (1974). (Law legalizing private ownership didn’t take effect until Dec. 31, 1974.)
September:
1: Labor Day (as celebrated in the U.S.)
5: Jury Rights Day
11: Anniversary of “9-11,” now known by some as “Patriot Day” (2001)
16: Pres. Franklin Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (first peacetime conscription?) on Sept. 16.
17: Constitution Day (Constitution signed by delegates to Philadelphia convention) (1787)
21: International Day of Peace (“World Peace Day”). Banned Books Week (Sept. 21 – 27)
25: Congress approves 12 amendments to Constitution and sends amendments to states for ratification (1789)
October:
1: Beginning of federal government’s 2015 fiscal year
14: Pres. Carter legalizes the home brewing of beer (1978)
25: Pres. Carter signs Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (1978). (Note: Powers under the Act were expanded under the USA Patriot Act.)
26: Passage of the USA Patriot Act (2001). Passage of the “Bank Secrecy Act” (1970)
27: Statue of Liberty unveiled in 1886 (on Oct. 28?)
28: Resistance to the Townshend Acts (1767). Passage of the National Prohibition Act, known as the Volstead Act (1919)
29: Massachusetts Resolves written by Samuel Adams (1765)
November:
4: Election Day
9: Supreme Court decision in Wickard vs Filburn (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
27: Thanksgiving
December:
5: Ratification of 21st Amendment (repeal of Prohibition) (1933)
10: Supreme Court decision in McConnell vs Federal Election Commission (ruled that most of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act is constitutional) (2003)
11: Anniversary of founding of LP (1971). George Mason’s birthday (1725)
15: Bill of Rights Day (date of ratification of Bill of Rights in 1791)
18: Passage by Congress of the 18th Amendment (1917). Supreme Court decision in Korematsu vs United States (ruled that executive order putting Japanese Americans into internment camps during World War II was constitutional) (1944)
23: Woodrow Wilson signs Federal Reserve Act (1913)
27: Signing of Flushing Remonstrance concerning religious liberty (1657)
Rich Tomasso
4:55 PM (4 hours ago)
to lnc-discuss
A few suggestions for this list:
January 16, 1920 – Prohibition went into effect.
January 17, 1934 – Illegal for private citizens to own gold certificates following the implementation of the Gold Reserve Act of 1934.
February 14, 1776 – Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
March 25, 1964 – Silver Certificates would no longer be redeemable for silver dollars.
April 3, 1972 – President Richard Nixon raised the official U.S. gold price from $35 an ounce to $38 an ounce. The change in gold price was the first made since an Executive Order by President Roosevelt in 1934.
June 24, 1968 – The exchange of silver certificates for silver bullion discontinued
July 1, 1944 – The Bretton Woods conference. The conference resulted in the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group.
July 23, 1965 – President Johnson approved the Coinage Act of 1965. The Act removed silver from circulating coins and authorized that cupronickel clad coins be used instead for the half dollar, quarter dollar, and dimes.
August 15, 1971 – President Nixon announced that the U.S. dollar would no longer be convertible into gold in the international markets.
August 31, 1935 – President Roosevelt signed the Neutrality Act, which was meant to prevent the United States government from entering into activities that could lead the country into a foreign war.
October 21, 1942 – The Revenue Act of 1942 increased the number of citizens on the tax rolls by adding a five percent “Victory Tax” on all incomes over $624.
October 22, 1968 – President Johnson signed the Gun Control Act into law.
November 8, 1945 – The Revenue Act of 1945 was signed into law by President Truman. The Act repealed the excess profits tax that had been levied during World War II.
November 16, 1798 – First Kentucky Resolution
December 3, 1799 – Second Kentucky Resolution
December 24, 1798 – James Madison’s Virginia Resolution passed.
Dec 26, 1991 – USSR formally ceased to exist.
December 31, 1974 – President Ford lifts the 40-year ban on gold ownership by U.S. citizens.