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Feb 21, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, forced to sign was King John. This is also called the Great Charter, which included guarentees of fundamental rights such as trial by jury and due process. -
Jamestown settled
Jamestown was the first successful English settlement on the mainland of North America. Jamestown was founded for a quick profit from gold mining. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. The compact was written to land further north in what is now Massachusettes. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right limited the king's power in several ways. The document insisted that the king may not impose martial law, or military rule, in times of peace, or require homeowners to shelter the king's troops without their consent. The Petition challenged the idea of the divine right of kings, stating that even a monarch must obey the law of the land. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was passed on December 16, 1689. It was a re-statement of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliment to William and Mary in March inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. -
Albany Plan of Union
In 1754 the British Board of Trade called a meeting of the seven of the northern colonies at Albany. The purpose; to discuss the problems of colonial trade and attacks from the Native Americans. In the plan Benjamin Franklin proposed the creation of delegates or representatives from each of the 13 colonies that could raise military and naval forces, make war and peace with the Native Americans and regulate trade. -
American Revolution begins
The American Revolution Era began around 1763. The British imposed a direct set of taxes which made the Americans mad, because they said it was a violation of their rights. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a direct tax imposed by the British Parliment specifically on the colonies of British America. The act require that all printed materials in the colony be produced on stamped paper. -
Boston Massacre
Mob violence erupted at several ports, many colonist supported a boycott of English goods. On March 5, 1770 British troops fired upon a crowd killing five people. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men disguised as Native Americans boarded three tea ships in the Boston Harbor. They broke open the chests and dumped all the cargo into the sea, to protest British control of the tea trade. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts are names given to describe a series of laws passed by British Parliment. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates that met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. It was a response to the Intolerable Acts imposed by the British Parliment. They considered options including a boycott of British trade, publishing a list of rights, and petitioning King George for redress. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the thirteen colonies that met soon after the Revolutionary War had begun. They managed the colonial war effort and moved towards independence adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4th 1776 announced that the original thirteen colonies would now be states and no longer apart of the British Empire. Written by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is also considered to be the birth of the United States. -
Articles of Confederation
On November 15, 1777 The Articles of Confederation were approved. The Articles of Confederation established, "a firm league of friendship" amoung the States. Each state kept its sovereignty, freedom, and independence. -
Shay's Rebellion
The rebellion started on August 29, 1786 and by January 1787 over a thousand Shaysites had been arrested. -
Constitution Convention
A constitutional convention is a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. The convention in February drafted the Constitution for ratification by the states. -
Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Convention took place to address problems in governing the United States of America. The intention was to create a new government rather than fix it from the Articles of Confederation. The result was the United States Constitution. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement between large and small states. It proposed a bicameral legislature, resulting in the current United States Senate and House of Representatives.
