JURIST - News - This Day @ Law

This Day @ Law

ASEAN founded

On August 8, 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded in Bangkok, Thailand by the governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration. Since that time, Cambodia, Vietnam, Brunei, Laos, and Burma (Myanmar) have also acceded to ASEAN membership.

President Nixon resigned from office

On August 8, 1974, President Richard Nixon, facing impeachment on obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Watergate investigation, announced that he was resigning from office effective midday August 9. Read his televised resignation speech.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Uruguay ends military rule

On August 9, 1977, the military government of Uruguay announced that it would hold free elections in 1981 to return the country to civilian rule.

US and Britain signed Webster-Ashburton Treaty

On August 9, 1842, the United States and Great Britain signed the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, settling their dispute over the northern boundaries of Maine and Minnesota. Read the full text of the treaty, online from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.