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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Description: King John of England sealed the Magna Carta or "Great Charter". Importance: The Magna Carta limited the power of the King and gave the people more rights and liberties. Colonists: When the colonists needed a system of government, they used ideas from the Magna Carta. Future: The Magna Carta influenced English liberties, which influenced American liberties. Ideas from the Magna Carta can be found in the US Constitution. -
Pilgrims Arrive on the Mayflower
Description: The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth and started a new colony. Importance: The Pilgrims were the first European settlers in America. They came to have freedom of religion. Colonists: The colonists were no longer ruled by the English King and started their own government. Future: The small colony grew and more people came to settle in America. -
Mayflower Compact
Description: The passengers of the Mayflower signed the Maflower Compact, which stated how their new American colony would be governed. Importance: The Mayflower Compact stated that the PIlgrims would govern themselves in a democratic way instead of being led by the King. Colonists: The colonists could vote on their leaders and had a say in how they were governed. Future: The Mayflower Compact was a new idea for a self-governing system. Similar ideas were used in the Constitution. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Description: Puritans and Congregationalists in Connecticut wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. Importance: The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut set up the state's government. It was like a constitution. Colonists: The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut gave men voting rights and included rights of individuals. Future: The U.S. Constitution and government is based off of similar ideas to those in the Fundamental Orders of Connectict. -
French and Indian War
Description: The French and Indian War began. It was the battles of Europe's 7 Years' War that were fought in America. Importance: The British wanted France out of America. Colonists: The British colonists fought against the French and their Native American allies. Future: The war started leading to discontent in America about not being a free nation. -
King George III
Description: George III became King of Great Britain. Importance: King George III was the ruler of England and its American colonies during the American Revolutionary War. Colonists: King George III imposed harsh taxes and laws on the colonists. Future: The colonies decided that they needed to be independent from George III's rule and from Great Britain. -
The Royal Proclamation of 1763
Description: After the French and Indian War, the British gained a lot of new land west of the Appalachian Mountains. They did not want the colonists to settle on this land, though, so the Proclamation of 1763 was issued. Importance: The French and Indian War was over, but the British did not want to have conflict with French settlers. Colonists: The colonists wanted to settle in the west and some had already started moving there before the Proclamation. Future: Colonists settled in the west. -
Sugar Act
Description: British Parliament passed the Sugar Act. Importance: The Act put taxes on many imports in America. Colonists: The colonists had to pay more money to get any imported products. Future: This and other events caused the colonies to become angry at British rule over them, leading to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. -
Stamp Act
Description: British Parliament passed the Stamp Act. Importance: The Stamp Act placed taxes on all paper in the American colonies. Colonists: The colonists had to pay extra money if they were required to buy any paper. Future: This led to discontent in the colonies with King George III's rule. -
Sons of Liberty
Description: Groups of men in all of the colonies formed to oppose unfair Acts passed by Britain. Importance: Ideas of America's freedom and independence were spread by the Sons of Liberty. Colonists: The Sons of Liberty protected colonists' rights and many colonists were members of the Sons of Liberty. Future: The Sons of Liberty encouraged American independence and freedom from English rule. -
Declaratory Act
Description: Parliament repealed the Stamp Act and passed the Declaratory Act. Importance: The Declaratory Act gave Parliament the power to pass any law they wanted and apply that law to the colonies. Colonists: The colonists knew that this meant that Parliament was going to pass more Acts on the colonies. Future: This was one of the many events that led up to America wanting freedom from Britain. -
Townshend Act
Description: Parliament passed the Townshend Act. Importance: The Act placed taxes on all imports to the colonies. Colonists:The colonists had to pay extra money for imports such as tea. Future: The high tax on tea led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Massacre
Description: British soldiers in Boston defended themselves against angry colonists and killed five colonists. Importance: There was already growing tension between colonists and British soldiers in America, but this caused even more. Colonists: The colonists saw the Boston Massacre as an attack on defenseless citizens and were very angry at the soldiers. Future: This was one of the events that led to discontent in the colonies over British rule. -
Tea Act
Description: The Tea Act was passed by the British Parliament. Importance: The Act sent tea to America from the East India Trading Company, but the tax on tea was still in place from the Townshend Act. Colonists: The colonists felt that the British were trying to get them to accept the tax on tea by sending them so much to buy. Future: The colonists' idea about this led to the Boston Tea Party. -
Boston Tea Party
Description: Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans sneaked on to ships carrying British tea and dumped it into Boston Harbor. Importance: This showed that the colonists did not have to accept British rule. Colonists: The demonstration helpd colonists start fighting for independence from England. Future: The Boston Tea Party fuelled the ideas of freedom for America. -
Intolerable Acts
Description: Parliament began passing the Intolerable Acts. Importance: Boston Harbor was closed to all trade and colonists were forced to allow British soldiers to stay in their houses. Colonists: Merchants could not do their job with Boston Harbor closed and soldiers took over colonists' homes. Future: This led to anger and discontent with England. -
First Continental Congress
Description: 12 of the 13 American colonies sent delegates to Pennsylvania to write a list of rights and demands to send to the King. Importance: America started to want independence from Great Britain. Colonists: The Americans had many complaints about unfair Acts that King George III was passing for America. Future: King George III rejected the colonies' requests, which eventually led to the American Revolution. -
American Revolutionary War
Description: Colonists defended themselves when British soldiers tried to take their weapons at Lexington and Concord. Importance: This marked the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Colonists: The colonists had to fight against the British. Future: The Revolutionary War ended with America becoming independent from Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
Description: Many delegates from the First Continental Congress and some new delegates met after the start of the American Revolutionary War to decide what to do. Importance: The Congress started thinking about making America an idependent country. Colonists: The Second Continental Congress helped to lead the colonists in the Revolutionary War. Future: The Congress eventually wrote the Declaration of Independence. -
Olive Branch Petition
Description: The Second Continental Congress sent the Petition to King George III. Importance: It was America's attempt to persuade the King to compromise peacefully by asking to send delegates to England. King George III refused. Colonists: The King blockaded the East coast so none of the colonists could send trade ships in or out. Future: This made Americans want independence even more. -
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
Description: Thomas Paine published his pamphlet "Common Sense" in America. Importance: The pamphlet expressed ideas of independence from Britain. Colonists: Americans were influenced by "Common Sense" and it helped more people realize America's need for independence. Future: Many people wanted America to be its own country, so eventually the Declaration of Independence was written. -
Declaration of Independence
Description: The Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Importance: America had officially declared its freedom from Britain. Colonists: The Americans were part of a free and independent nation. King George III no longer controlled them. Future: The Americans had to find a way to govern themselves since the were no longer ruled by England. -
Articles of Confederation
Description: The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation as a constitution for the United States. Importance: The Articles of Confederation were the first US Constitution. Colonists: The Articles of Confederation caused problems for the Americans because they had many flaws and didn't give Congress enough power to govern the nation effectively. Future: Eventually, the Articles grew so ineffective that a Constitutional Congress was organized to revise them. -
Treaty of Paris
Description: American and British representatives signed the Treaty of Paris. Importance: The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolutionary War. America was a free country. Colonists: The Americans no longer had to fight. They lived in an independent nation. Future: Britain recognized America as a free country and it continued to be independent from then on. -
Shay's Rebellion
Description: Farmers rebelled because they had not been paid for serving in the Revolutionary War. Importance: The government could not stop the rebellions because it was too weak under the Articles of Confederation. Colonists: Americans were worried that more rebellions would occur and the government wouldn't help. Future: This showed that the US needed a stonger government and helped bring about the Constitutional Convention. -
Constitution
Description: The Constitutional Convention met in Philidelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, but realized that the country needed an entirely new Constitution. Importance: It created a new, better system of government for the United States. Colonists: The new Constitution solved problems the Americans had been having with the Articles of Confederation. Future: Our country is still run by the ideas and rules expressed in the Constitution today.