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The Magna Carta, originally issued in June of 1215 but later modified, was the first document forced to be signed by an English king. It explicitly states that no one can be punished without trial, a right that is still in existence today.
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Jamestown, Virginia was the first permanent English settlement in what is now the United States of America. It was founded by the London company headquartered in England.
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The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later known as Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic aboard the Mayflower.
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The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific, inalienable liberties. It is most notable for its confirmation of the principles that taxes can be levied only by Parliament, that martial law may not be imposed in time of peace, and that prisoners must be able to challenge the legitimacy of their detentions through the writ of habeas corpus.
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The English Bill of Rights was an act of the Parliament of England. It laid out the basics rights (at the time) for all Englishmen.
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The Albany Plan of Union was an early attempt at forming a union of the colonies under one government. It was proposed by Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress, but was rejected, though it would eventually serve as an inspirational primer for the writing of the Articles of Confederation.
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The Stamp Act was a direct tax that required many printed materials in the colonies to be printed on British paper with an embossed revenue stamp. The Stamp Act met with great opposition in the colonies, considering they could not send representatives to Parliament to combat this tax.
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A heavy British military presence in Boston led to tense situations between civilians and soldiers. Civilians and soldiers got into fights and eventually, when threatened by a rioting crowd, the British soldiers fired on the civilians. Three were killed on the scene, eleven were injured, and two died afterward. The aftermath of events like these would eventually spark the American Revolutionary War.
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The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston against the British Government and the monopolistic East India Company. A group of colonists boarded ships carrying taxed tea and destroyed it by throwing it overboard into the harbor. The tea was unwanted, and the official refusal to return the three shiploads prompted the Boston Tea Party.
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The American Revolution was a political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century. Ultimately, the states collectively decided that the British, by acts of tyranny, could no longer legitimately claim their allegiance.
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The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in response to events in the colonies. These laws were important developments leading the U.S. to the American Revolutionary War.
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The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies. This Continental Congress was created in response to the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws passed to punish Boston for the Boston Tea Party.
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The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from all 13 colonies. It began soon after warfare during the American Revolutionary War had begun. This Continental Congress managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence, adopting the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
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The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress. The Declaration justified the independence of the United States by listing colonial grievance against King George III and by asserting certain natural rights.
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The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States. In practice, the articles were in use beginning in 1771, but only became de jure by final ratification in 1781
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Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts. The rebellion was named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
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This convention took place to address problems in governing the United States. The purpose of this convetion was purpotedly to fix problems within the Articles of confederation, however many people their had the intention of creating a new government. as a result of this, the United States Constitution was created.
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the Connecticut Compromise was an agreement reached between large and small states during the Constitutional Convention. It called for a bicameral legislature, resulting in the current United States Senate and House of Representatives.
