September 2 has witnessed several important moments in American history, from the creation of one of the federal government’s oldest departments to the formal end of World War II. It was also the date of a famous Theodore Roosevelt speech, a major transformation in television journalism, and an innovation that changed how Americans access their money.
Each event tells a different part of the American story. Some shaped government and foreign policy, while others transformed everyday life. Together, they show how September 2 has repeatedly marked moments of change in the United States.
1789 – Congress Establishes the U.S. Department of the Treasury
One of the earliest significant events associated with September 2 occurred during the first year of government under the United States Constitution.
On September 2, 1789, Congress established the United States Department of the Treasury, creating a permanent federal institution responsible for managing the nation’s finances.
The new United States faced enormous financial challenges.
The Revolutionary War had left the country deeply in debt. Both the federal government and individual states owed money, and the young nation’s financial reputation was uncertain. If the United States hoped to survive and grow, it needed an organized system for collecting revenue, managing debt, paying government expenses, and maintaining public confidence.
The Treasury Department became central to that effort.
Congress created several positions within the department, including the Secretary of the Treasury, Comptroller, Auditor, Treasurer, Register, and an assistant to the secretary.
Nine days later, on September 11, 1789, Alexander Hamilton took the oath of office as the nation’s first Secretary of the Treasury.
Hamilton would become one of the most influential financial architects in American history.
He believed that the federal government needed strong financial institutions and that establishing the creditworthiness of the United States was essential to the nation’s future. His policies included supporting federal assumption of state Revolutionary War debts and establishing a national banking system.
These ideas generated intense political disagreements, particularly between Hamilton and leaders such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Those disagreements contributed to the development of America’s first political parties.
The Treasury Department created on September 2, 1789, remains one of the most important institutions in the federal government. Its responsibilities have expanded considerably, but its central mission continues to revolve around managing the financial resources and economic interests of the United States.
September 2 therefore represents an important milestone in the development of the American federal government.
1901 – Theodore Roosevelt and the “Big Stick”
More than a century later, September 2 became associated with one of the most famous phrases in American political history.
On September 2, 1901, Vice President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech at the Minnesota State Fair in Minneapolis.
During the address, Roosevelt used the proverb:
“Speak softly and carry a big stick—you will go far.”
The speech advocated a vigorous approach to American affairs at home and abroad, combining diplomacy and restraint with the strength necessary to support American policy.
The phrase would become closely associated with Roosevelt’s approach to foreign policy.
What makes the date especially remarkable is what happened shortly afterward.
At the time of the speech, Roosevelt was not president. He was serving as vice president under President William McKinley.
Just days later, on September 6, McKinley was shot in Buffalo, New York. He died on September 14.
Roosevelt suddenly became the 26th president of the United States.
The philosophy expressed in his September 2 speech would soon become closely connected to his presidency.
Roosevelt believed the United States should negotiate carefully and avoid unnecessary boasting or threats, while maintaining enough military and economic strength to make its diplomacy credible.
That combination of diplomacy and power became known as “Big Stick diplomacy.”
Roosevelt’s presidency would coincide with America’s growing influence on the international stage. His administration became involved in issues surrounding the Panama Canal, relations with Latin America, naval power, and international diplomacy.
The words spoken in Minneapolis on September 2, 1901, became one of the defining expressions of Roosevelt’s political philosophy.
1945 – Japan Formally Surrenders and World War II Ends
Perhaps the most historically significant event connected with September 2 occurred in 1945.
On September 2, 1945, representatives of the Empire of Japan formally signed the Instrument of Surrender aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The ceremony officially ended World War II.
For Americans, the moment marked the conclusion of nearly four years of direct involvement in the deadliest global conflict in modern history.
The United States had entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
What followed was a massive national mobilization.
Millions of Americans entered military service. Factories were converted to wartime production. Families lived with rationing, uncertainty, separation, and loss.
American forces fought across North Africa, Europe, the Atlantic, and the Pacific.
Germany surrendered in May 1945, ending the war in Europe, but fighting against Japan continued.
During the summer of 1945, American forces prepared for the possibility of an invasion of the Japanese home islands.
Then came the atomic bombings of Hiroshima on August 6 and Nagasaki on August 9. The Soviet Union also entered the war against Japan.
On August 15, Americans received the long-awaited news that Japan had agreed to surrender.
Celebrations erupted across the United States.
However, the formal surrender still had to be completed.
That happened on September 2.
Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed on behalf of the Japanese government and Emperor, while General Yoshijiro Umezu signed on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters.
General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, accepted the surrender. Representatives of the Allied nations also signed the document.
The ceremony took place aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
It was relatively brief, but its meaning was enormous.
Six years of global warfare had officially ended.
For millions of American military families, the surrender meant their loved ones could finally begin coming home.
For the United States, however, the end of World War II also represented the beginning of a dramatically different era.
America emerged from the conflict as one of the world’s dominant military, economic, and political powers.
The postwar years brought the occupation and reconstruction of Japan, the creation of new international organizations, the beginning of the Cold War, and profound changes to American society.
September 2, 1945, therefore marked both an ending and a beginning.
The National Archives preserves the Japanese Instrument of Surrender as one of the defining documents marking the conclusion of World War II.
Remembering the Americans Who Served
The anniversary of September 2 also offers an opportunity to remember the Americans whose lives were changed by World War II.
The war touched nearly every community in the United States.
Young men left farms, factories, schools, businesses, and families to serve overseas. Women entered military service and joined the industrial workforce in enormous numbers. Factories operated around the clock producing aircraft, ships, tanks, weapons, vehicles, and supplies.
Families planted victory gardens.
Communities organized scrap drives.
Citizens purchased war bonds.
Letters traveled between soldiers and loved ones thousands of miles away.
And many families received news that their sons, brothers, husbands, fathers, daughters, or friends would never return.
The surrender ceremony on September 2 was therefore more than a diplomatic event.
For Americans watching or listening to reports about the ceremony, it represented the conclusion of years filled with sacrifice, uncertainty, and grief.
1963 – Television News Enters a New Era
September 2 also played an important role in the history of American journalism.
On September 2, 1963, Walter Cronkite anchored the first broadcast of network television’s first daily half-hour news program when the CBS Evening News expanded from 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
Today, a 30-minute television news program may seem ordinary.
In 1963, it was a significant development.
Television was rapidly becoming one of the primary ways Americans learned about national and international events.
The expanded broadcast gave CBS journalists more time to provide reporting from around the country and the world.
President John F. Kennedy even participated in an interview for the debut broadcast.
The timing proved extraordinary.
America was entering one of the most dramatic periods of the 20th century.
The Civil Rights Movement was transforming the nation.
American involvement in Vietnam was expanding.
The space race was accelerating.
Political tensions were growing.
And only 81 days after the historic September 2 broadcast, President Kennedy would be assassinated in Dallas.
Cronkite would become one of the most recognizable journalists in American history, eventually earning a reputation as a trusted voice during some of the country’s most difficult moments.
The expansion of television news on September 2, 1963, demonstrated how dramatically American media was changing.
Americans increasingly expected not merely to read about history the following morning but to see history unfolding on television.
1969 – America’s First Modern ATM Makes Its Debut
Not every historic event involves presidents, wars, or major government decisions.
Sometimes history changes through technology that eventually becomes so common we barely think about it.
That happened on September 2, 1969.
On that date, Chemical Bank introduced an early modern automated teller machine at its branch in Rockville Centre, New York. It is widely recognized as the first modern ATM of its kind in the United States.
At the time, banking operated very differently.
Customers generally had to conduct transactions during traditional banking hours. If the bank was closed and someone needed cash, options were limited.
Automated banking promised to change that.
The machine introduced in New York allowed customers to obtain cash without interacting directly with a bank teller.
The idea seemed revolutionary.
Chemical Bank promoted the technology with the memorable idea that its bank would open and essentially never close again.
Early ATMs were far more limited than modern machines. They primarily dispensed cash, while later generations added additional services such as deposits, transfers, and account information.
Eventually, ATMs appeared outside bank branches.
They moved into shopping centers, airports, convenience stores, hotels, entertainment venues, and countless other locations.
The development represented something larger than simply a new banking machine.
It was part of a growing movement toward self-service technology.
Today, consumers routinely use machines and digital services for activities once performed entirely by employees—from banking and airline check-in to shopping and food ordering.
The ATM introduced on September 2, 1969, helped demonstrate how technology could fundamentally change the relationship between businesses and their customers.
1998 – The Tragedy of Swissair Flight 111
September 2 also carries the memory of tragedy.
On September 2, 1998, Swissair Flight 111 departed John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York bound for Geneva, Switzerland.
The aircraft carried 215 passengers and 14 crew members.
Approximately 53 minutes after departure, the flight crew detected an unusual smell in the cockpit. Smoke soon became visible, and the pilots attempted to divert the aircraft toward Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The aircraft ultimately crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia.
All 229 people aboard were killed.
Although the crash occurred in Canadian waters and involved a Swiss airline, the flight’s departure from New York and the Americans aboard connected the tragedy deeply with the United States.
The disaster also led to an extensive aviation safety investigation.
As with many major aviation accidents, lessons from the tragedy contributed to continued examination of aircraft systems, materials, emergency procedures, and flight safety.
September 2 therefore carries not only memories of national achievement but also remembrance for lives lost.
September 2: A Day of Government, War, Technology, and Change
Few dates can be defined by a single event, and September 2 is a perfect example.
On September 2, 1789, the young United States strengthened its new federal government by establishing the Department of the Treasury.
On September 2, 1901, Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech containing the phrase that would forever be associated with his approach to leadership and foreign policy.
On September 2, 1945, representatives of Japan signed the formal surrender aboard the USS Missouri, officially bringing World War II to an end.
On September 2, 1963, Walter Cronkite helped usher American television journalism into the half-hour evening news era.
On September 2, 1969, an ATM in New York offered Americans a glimpse of a future in which banking services would be available beyond traditional business hours.
And on September 2, 1998, the Swissair Flight 111 tragedy reminded Americans and people around the world of the human cost behind efforts to continually improve aviation safety.
These events are separated by generations, but each represents something important about the American experience.
They tell stories about building a government, expanding national influence, surviving war, communicating information, embracing new technology, and learning from tragedy.
Why This Day Still Matters
History is sometimes remembered through enormous turning points—wars, elections, presidential decisions, and national crises.
But history is also found in institutions, inventions, speeches, broadcasts, and everyday changes that gradually reshape society.
September 2 contains examples of both.
The surrender aboard the USS Missouri changed the course of the world.
The creation of the Treasury Department helped establish the financial foundations of the United States.
Roosevelt’s Minnesota speech gave American political history one of its most enduring foreign-policy expressions.
The expansion of television news changed how Americans experienced major events.
And the introduction of the ATM helped change something as ordinary as withdrawing cash from a bank account.
Taken together, these moments remind us that American history isn’t only a record of what happened in Washington or on battlefields. It is also the story of how Americans communicate, work, manage money, use technology, respond to tragedy, and adapt to a changing world.
Every date on the calendar has a story.
September 2 has many.
Which September 2 event do you believe had the greatest impact on American history?
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