That's hard to say without criteria as to what's important, but if I had to choose, I would rank my events like this, assuming American History starts at settlement:
1) Ratification of the Constitution - more important than the revolution itself, as those are common. Replacing them with a democracy is not.
2) The Civil War - because this conflict could have destroyed us as a unified nation, and our history afterwards would have been much, much different. The war also made it possible to free the slaves permanently by law.
3) World War II - Saved us from the Great Depression, unified the country and established the US as a superpower with nuclear weapons.
My three most important people would be:
1) George Washington - tireless public servant who refused to take advantage of us and make himself King.
2) Abraham Lincoln - guided us by whatever means possible through the Civil War, put his own personal feelings aside and did what he thought best to unify us. Emancipated the slaves. Brilliant writer and speaker.
3) Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Guided us through two national crises - the Great Depression and World War II. Served his entire adult life.
I know those are all Presidents, but you only let me choose three.
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