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The Magna Carta document limited the king of England's power. His barons wanted to limit his authority and establish a few basic rights for English citizens
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The Petition of Right was a document created by the English Parliament to limit some of the power of the king. The document allowed for prisoners to have the writ of habeas corpus. This enabled prisoners to come before a judge in a fair trial.
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The English Bill of Rights further restricted the power of royal authority and gave Parliament more freedom. For example, the document allowed Parliament to have freedom of speech and the freedom of petition.
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The Albany Plan of Union called for a royal governor to rule each colony. The plan was drafted by Benjamin Franklin as a result of the impending French and Indian Wars.
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The Boston Massacre occured at a riot in the streets of Boston, Massachusetts when British troops opened fire into a crowd. At least 5 civilians died and another 11 were injured. This event added fuel to the colonists desire to fight for indepedence.
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Colonists in Boston threw crates of tea into the Boston Harbor to protest British taxes. The British refused to sail the taxed tea back to England after colonists stated they did not need the tea. This event further inspired the idea of revolution in the colonies.
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The First Continental Congress met in September 1774 to discuss the unfair treatment of the British. They did not necessarily talk about independence but met to seek a voice in the happenings in the colonies.
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The Second Continental Congress met to make decisions during the American Revolution. Their meeting covered issues such as war strategy, raising armies, and creating treaties. In some sense, they served as the government for the rebelling colonies
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The Declaration of Independence notified King George III that the colonies were now their own independent states. Thomas Jefferson wrote this historic document to let England know the colonies were no longer part of the British Empire.
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The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States created by the Second Continental Congress. This document established some basic freedoms such as freedom of movement between states
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Daniel Shays led an uprising in Massachusetts against the governor and a financial crisis in the colony. This uprising showed that, although the British had been defeated, several issues still remained for the new country. George Washington came out of retirement to push for a strong national government.
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Delegates at the Philadelphia Convention discussed the Articles of Confederation and its problems. Although they did not intend to create a new government, the United States Constitution was developed during the convention. George Washington presided over the meetings.
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James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan for the Constitutional Convention in 1787. The proposal called for a population-weighted voting system for legislature.
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William Paterson proposed this plan for the United States Government. His proposal was a response to the Virginia plan and call for two houses in the government. One house's delegates would be determined by the population of a state and the other house would have equal representation not based on population.
