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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta\The Great Charter
-Signed by king john
-Limited the kings power and abitrary acts
-Garantees fundamental rights such as trail by jury and Due process of law -
Period: Jan 1, 1215 to
Major Events of Early American Government
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Jamestown Settled
-1st Colony;Virginia.
-1st permanent English Settlement in North America. -
Mayflower Compact
-Abroad the Mayflower (present-day Cape Cod).
-1st written laws for the new land and established a government created by those who were to be governed.
-Signed by 41 adult men. -
Petition of Rights
-limited kings power in more ways than The Magna Carta.
-Demanded that the king no longer imprison or otherwise punish any person but by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land.
-Challenged the idea of Divine Right,and declared that even a monarch must obey the law of the land. -
English Bill of Rights
-Prohibited a standing army in peace time,except with consent of Parliament.
-Rights to a fair trial and freedom from guarantees,excessive bail,and from cruel and unusual punishment. -
Albany Plan of Union
-Proposed by Benjamin Franklin.
-Offered idea\creation of an annual congress of delegates from each of the 13 colonies.
-These delegates duties included;making war and peace with Native Americans,raising Military forces,and raising Naval forces. -
The Stamp Act
-Law that required the use of tax stamps on all legal documents,certain business agreements,and newspapers.
-Mainly unpopular because of high rates,but also because they amounted to "Taxation without Reperesentation". -
Boston Massacre
-British troops in Boston fired on a jeering crowd killing five people (Resulting from The Stamp Act). -
Boston Tea Party
-A group of men,disguised as native Americans,boarded three tea Ships in Boston.
-Broke open chests and dumped the ship's cargo into the sea to protest British Control of The Tea Trade. -
Intolerable Acts
-Parliament passed a set of laws punishing the colonists for the troubles in Boston and elsewhere. -
1st Continental Congress
-Deledates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadephia to discuss the bad situations and plan for a solution. -
American Revolution Begins
-The battles of Lexington and Concord. -
2nd Continental Congress
-13 colonies had a representative.
-Newcomers included Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Hancock of Massechusettes. -
Declaration of Independence
-Prepared by Ben Franklin,John Adams,Roger Sherman,Robert livingston,and Thomas Jefferson.
-Expressed that the people should rule instead of being ruled.
-All men are created equal.
-Consent of the governed.
-13 colonies became free and independent states. -
Articles Of Confederation
-Established "A firm league of friendship" among the states.
-Created a structure of an aliiance of independent states. -
Shays Rebellion
-Many farmers and property owners were losing their land from bad economic conditions.
-Daniel Shay (Farmer) led an armed uprising on the Federal Arsenal in Springfield.
-Was unsuccessful in his efforts and fled to Vermont. -
Constitution Convention
-Meeting in Philadelphia.
-Originally an assembly to revise Articles of Confederation.
-Purpose,The creation of a new government for the United States. -
Connecticut Compromise
-Conflict over representation in congress (Large States Vs. Small States).
-Suggested by The Connecticut Delegation.
-Agreed that Congress should be composed of two houses.
-Senate(States represented equally).
-House(States represented by population).
-Helped to write The Constitution.
