Milestones

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) was created during the Democratic National Convention of 1848. Since then, it's been responsible for governing the Democratic Party and is the oldest continuing party committee in the United States.

Under the leadership of Democratic President Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. Constitution was amended to grant women the right to vote. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee's became the 36th state to ratify women's suffrage, and it became our nation's 19th amendment.

As part of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, the National Housing Act was our nation's first significant federal housing legislation. It made housing and home mortgages more affordable and established the Federal Housing Administration and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation.

One of the most enduring parts of FDR's New Deal, the Social Security Act provides assistance to retirees, the unemployed, widows, and orphans. By signing this act, FDR was the first president to advocate for federal assistance for the elderly. It was largely opposed by Republican legislators.

Under President Roosevelt, this law established a national minimum wage, guaranteed "time-and–a-half" for overtime in certain jobs, and prohibited oppressive child labor. It was met with significant opposition by the Republican Party but signed into law by FDR.

The Servicemen's Readjustment Act provided unprecedented benefits for soldiers returning from World War II, including low-cost mortgages, loans to start a business, and tuition and living expenses for those seeking higher education. FDR signed it into law on June 22, 1944.

President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961, to provide assistance to countries in need and to help American learn and understand other cultures. More than 200,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps in 139 countries.

This landmark piece of legislation outlawed major forms of discrimination against African Americans and women and prohibited racial segregation. Signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, it ended unequal voting requirements and segregated schools, workplaces, and public facilities.

The Social Security Amendments of 1965 created Medicare and Medicaid, which provides health insurance for the elderly and low-income Americans. LBJ signed the bill alongside fellow Democrat President Harry S Truman, a strong proponent of national health care, on July 30, 1965.

Another watershed law from LBJ, the Voting Rights Act outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had led to the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans by banning literacy tests and mandating states with a history of discriminatory voting practices to obtain federal approval before changing voting requirements.

President Clinton signed into law the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. It sparked the longest peacetime economic growth in U.S. history, created 22 million jobs, and brought unemployment and inflation to their lowest levels in more than 30 years.

President Bill Clinton signed this bill into law on February 5, 1993, requiring employers to provide unpaid leave for personal or family illness, military service, pregnancy, adoption, and other medical and family reasons.

Despite a wave of Republican opposition, President Obama signed the Recovery Act into law while our economy was in free fall. Because of this law, the tide turned, and a second Great Depression was averted, and we've now seen two straight years of job growth.

The first bill President Barack Obama signed into law, the Fair Pay Restoration Act is an important step in the decades-long battle for women to get equal pay for equal work.

This landmark law holds the big banks accountable, establishes the strongest consumer protections in our nation's history—and ensures that taxpayers will never again be forced to bail out Wall Street.

After decades of trying and despite unanimous opposition from Republicans, President Obama and Democrats passed comprehensive health reform into law in March 2010. The Affordable Care Act will hold insurance companies accountable, lower costs, expand coverage, and improve care for all Americans.

In September 2011, the discriminatory policy that forced LGBT members of the military to hide their sexual orientation came to an end, thanks to President Obama and congressional Democrats. After 17 years, the men and women of our armed forces are able to serve the country they love without having to hide who they love.