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Why were they important?  Please give good reasons with keywords.

brovo! amazing group works w/superior creativity,

wondering who's the inventor of the activity

One major historical event was the struggle for the Constitution, 1763-1877. In addition, the American Civil War which included the emancipation of slaves. Some other inventions were the banking systems and how they changed--from the Bank of England, to the banks of the U.S. and finally the Federal Reserve System. When the U.S was able to have it's own banking system it could set goals and prioritize how capitol was utilized. In addtion, mercantilism stabilized the trade situation; and paper money was instituted instead of the gold standard. All of these aided in the development of democracy.

Democracy and freedom are often spoken in the same breath.  A Democracy is often defined as a system of government where the people have say in the government, but that is merely one aspect.  A broader understanding is that a democracy allows freedom, which is the ability of individuals to exercise rights.

As democratic principles expanded during the Enlightenment, more individuals came to the understanding that they were free to do what they saw fit with their lives.  The invention, development, and improvement of the steam engine also occured during this era.  It's the steam engine that was the key component to beginning and maintaining the Industrial Revolution, starting in Great Britain and continuing in Europe and the United States. Initially designed to pump water out of mine shafts, modifications allowed it to revolutionize transportation by creating steam powered trains and boats.  It revoultionized all of manufacturing, particularly textiles.  By creating conditions where mass production could occur, it created immense wealth and raised the standard of living for all of the population.  However, its invention didn't lead to the development of democracy; it was rather a function of democracy itself, where individuals in Great Britain were free to expend themselves in inventing things. Once invented, it furthered democracy in Europe and North America by creating conditions where more (and better living) individuals had the freedom to choose how to live their lives, as opposed to having to be farmers as in a preindustrial society.

My three would be:

1. Railroads.  They weren't invented in this time period but it was in this period that they were built up in the US.  Railroads allowed whites to settle the Midwest and West.  Lots of people say this helped with democracy because it made Americans have a pioneer "I can do it myself" spirit.
2. The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified after the Civil War.  This says that all people must have the equal protection of the law.  It didn't help non-whites much at the time, but it's what was used to ban segregation and other forms of discrimination during the '60s.
3. Andrew Jackson.  He was the first president to be born poor.  His family was Scots-Irish and from the backcountry instead of being rich planters or New England elites like previous presidents.  He was the first major symbol of democracy for all the people rather than a republic controlled by elites.