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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
Includes guarantees of such fundamental rights as trial by jury and due process of law. (Protection against the arbitary taking of life, liberty, or property). -
Petition Of Right
documnent prepared by Parliament and signed by King Charles I of England in 1628; challeneged the idea of the divine right of kings and declared that even the monarch was subject to the laws of the land. -
English Bill Of Rights
document written by Parliament and agreed on by William and Mary of England, designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs -
Albany Plan of Union
plan proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite the 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes; the plan was turned down by the colonies and the Crown. -
Stamp Act
Act provided that many printed materials be produced on stamped paper produced in London and delivered with a embossed revenue stamp. -
Boston Massacre
The killing of five colonists by the British regulars, it was culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal Troops arrived to to enforce the Townshend Act. -
Boston Tea Party
Direct action by colonists in Boston, a movement opposing the Tea Act. The colonists disgused themselves and dumped tons of tea offboard in reaction to the Tea Act. -
Intolerable Acts
A reaction to the Boston Tea Party with a series of acts that were intended to punish Boston for the illegal destruction of private property (the tea). -
First Continental Congress
A convention of delagates from twelve of the thirteen colonies. They met to consider options for the boycott of the British Trade. -
Second Continental Congress
Managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence. -
Declaration Of Independence
Announced that the thirteenth colonies were now independent states and no longer a part of the British Empire. -
Articles Of Confederation
established a "firm league of friendship" among the States. Each State kept "it's sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, Jurisdiction, and right...not..expressly delegated to the United States..." -
Shay's Rebellion
Attempted to prevent the courts from seizing property from indebted farmers by forcing the closure of courts. -
Philedelphia Convention
met to address problems in Governing the United States of America, the intention was to create a new government rather than fixing the existing one -
Conneticut Compromise
agreement during the Constitional Convection that Congress should be composed of a Senate, in which states would be represented equally, and a house, in which representation would be based on a State's population
