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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
Magna Carta was an important legal document that greatly contributed to developing the legal system of England. It was the great charter of english freedoms. This document was written in the year 1215. -
Mayflower Compact
Written on november 16, 1620, the Mayflower Compact was the first official and first governing document of the Plymouth colony. It was written by the colonists, later called the pilgrams. -
Petition of Rights
A document stating a man's rights and liberties opposed to the wants of the crown. This was sent to King Charles I by the english parliment. Also referred to as the English bill of rights -
English Bill of Rights
On December 16, 1689 , The parliment of England passed a bill stating the rights and liberties of the subject and settling the succession of the crown. The english people needed to have a legal document stating that everyone should have rights no matter if the king disagrees. -
Navigation Act
English Laws in the 17-1800s that only allowed colonial or english ships to carry goods for trading. This act eventually restricted trading for the american colonies which added to the resentment towards England that was already occuring. -
Stamp Act
An act passed by the Bristish parliment on March 3, 1765. The act required every american colonist to pay a tax for every legal document they used. The colonists found this very offensive because Britain passed it without informing the american legislature. -
Proclammation of 1773
In 1773, a proclamation was made to prohibit settlement of the northern american colonistd passed as imagenary boundry line down the Appalachin Mountains. Two reasons for this proclamation was to prevent warfare with the indians and to keep trading on the coastline. -
Boston Tea Party
The colonists in Boston raided the newly arrived british ships and threw boxes and boxes of tea into the harbor, ruining it. The did this to make the britosh angry and boycott their imports. many of the raiders were disguised as native americans. -
Sugar Act
On April 5, 1774, the English Parliment passed an act that raised revenue. A previous molasses act that required a six pence tax for every gallon was proposed in 1733 but was altered in 1774 so that the tax was split in half and the measures were actually enforced to collect it. -
Intolerable Acts
Also known as the restraining acts, the intolerable acts were introuduced by a new legislasture of king George III. The legislature's goal was to restore power over Massachusetts. They proposed 4 'intolerable' acts. The Boston port act on June 1, The quartering act on June 2, the Adminastration of Justice act and the Massachusetts government act on May 20. -
First Continental Congress
On September 5, 1774, twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This first congress meeting was a respose to the intolerable acts. 56 members attended and the group discussed solutions to the issues with Britain. The congress weighed their options and thought of boycott, publishing a list of rights and petitioning the king. -
First shots fired at Lexington and Concord
The first military movement of the revolutionary war. On April 19, 1775, in middlesex county within the towns of lexinton and concord. The first shots were fired in the battle against Great Britain and the thirteen colonies. -
Second Continental Congress
The second continintal congress was a convention of about 50 representitives from the thirteen colonies. This congress declared independence, made treaties and managed warfare. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28 1776. Idependence was declared from Great Britain on July 4, 1776.
