'America Faces Its Most Momentous Year'
At the close of 1916, George MacAdam predicted that 1917 would be the most important year in American history. Although historians differ on precisely what was the most important year in American history, virtually nobody selects 1917.
Among the most common selections are:
1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed
1789, when the Constitution and Bill of Rights were were ratified
1861, when the Civil War started
1865, when the Civil War ended, the slaves were freed, and Lincoln was assassinated
1941, when Pearl Harbor was attacked and the U.S. entered World War II
1945, when World War II ended and the U.S. became the first and only country to deploy nuclear weapons
1968, when a bunch of crazy stuff happened
1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed and the U.S. became the world's one true superpower
2001, when the September 11 attacks occurred
"America Faces Its Most Momentous Year": President of Princeton University Says Crisis of the Present Day Is Greater Than That of the Revolution or the Civil War
From December 31, 1916