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Limits the British monarch and protects against unjust loss of life, liberty, and property
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41 men on the Mayflower sign the Mayflower Compact. This binds them to a small government that will make laws for the colony.
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Virginia and Massachusetts called a general meeting of all the colonies. All colonies except Georgia had delegates present. An embargo was finally imposed against Britain, prompting the Revolutionary war.
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The Second Continental Congress assumed responsibility as central government througout the Revolutionary War. It organized an army and navy, issued money, and made George Washington commander of the Continental Army.
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Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, is published. It urged people to support the move toward independence. Common Sense was originally published anonymously.
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Congress approves the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. America has declared its freedom from Britain. The Declaration justified the coming Revolutionary war and set the new nation's principles.
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The first system of central government by the colonists. Created a one-chamber congress, but not an executive or judicial branch.
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The first rebellion after the war, Shays Rebellion was started when angry farmers led by Daniel Shays attacked the Springfield arsenal. The unrest that caused this rebellion was a wake-up call to American leaders. They began working on the Constitution.
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The Constitutional Convention, where 55 state delegates discussed the coming American Constitution, begins.
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New Hampshire becomes the last state to ratify the Constitution. It now binds the 13 States. Image- "Founding Fathers" Howard Chandler Christy (Shays Rebellion is below this dot, but isn't very visible)
