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Period: to
Colinal Times
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Jamestown
The king granted a charter to a group of wealthy people, also known as the Virginia Company of London, who wanted to start an English settlement in the colonies. They were hoping for wealth from the products and land over there. So in 1607, the entered the Chesapeake bay region and set up the fort called Jamestown. The conditions there were very harsh and they barely made it through the first year. -
House of Burgesses
The first representative government was elected and met in 1619. Virginia had made a tradition of representative government. This government was known as the House of Burgesses. It could make laws and set taxes, but had to share power with the governor. This was one of the many representative governments that America would see. -
Penn's Holy Experiment
William Penn wanted a land where everyone could live in peace, regardless of the religion. So, he got a charter granted from the king, and came over to the colonies. He set up Pennsylvania, and tried to make it as peaceful as he could between colonists and the Native Americans. He granted the freedom of religion, which was a major step for the colonies. -
Publishment of "Two Treatises on Government"
During the Enlightenment, a writer by the name of John Locke published "Two Treatises on Government." in this he stated that everyone has natural rights such as life, liberty, and property. He also questioned divine rights. The conclusion was that the government is responsible for protecting people's rights, and if the monarch violates those rights, then the people can overthrow him\her. -
Freedom of Press
in 1795, Peter Zenger was charged with libel because he published a series of articles criticzing the govenor of New York. During that time, the law punished any writing that criticized the government, even if it was true. however his laywer was able to convince the jury that the articles were based off facts and should not be considered libel. since then, it has been the press's responsbility to keep the public informed of the truth. from that we get the freedom of press. -
The Boston Masacre
In Boston a crown of angry workers surrounded a small group of British troops. They began to shout, and throw snow and rocks at the. The soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five, and wounding six. The governor tried to calm things. However, people took it as an opportunity, and made the incident look as if it was on purpose and terrible. That is how it got its name "the Boston massacre." -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was supposed to help the British East India Company. They lowered the prices, by making the company ship directly to the colonies. It also gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea, meaning they could not get tea from anywhere, or anyone else. This angered the colonists, and hurt many of the merchants. This led to many protests. -
Shot Heard Around The World
The Shot Heard Around the World was shot at Lexington. When British troops were sent to sieze arm being stored at concord, they were stopped by the militia. The militia refused to go home, and shortly after, a shot rang out. They dont know who shot it, but its known as the first shot of the American Revolution. -
The Second Continental Congress
Due to the crisis growing with Britain, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia. They were divided at first when deciding what to do. They decided that an army was necessary. Also, they decided to pay for expense, by printing paper money. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
There were three battles on Bunker Hill. The first two British attacks on the hill failed, but on the third try, they won. They only won because the Americans ran out of ammunition. This battle proved that the colonists could stand up to the british troops. -
Delcleraration Of Independence
On July 4th 1776, Congress approved of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was a brilliant piece of writing which was built on the beliefs of the Enlightenment, and gave reasons as to why the Americans wanted freedom from the king's ruling. -
Treaty of Paris
Peace talks in Paris led to an agreement of peace between Britian and America. this agreement was called the treaty of paris. british had to accept the indepence of the states, and agree to the new set boundaries. the states had to return all rights and land back to the loyalists. this agreement meant that the states were now free from britian. -
Washington's Farewell
Washington and his ranking officers got together for one last meal together in New York City. Each and every man had something to say about Washington. Washington wanted to retire, but he'd be call back to help the country he has helped form. -
Shay's Rebellion
A former American Revolution captain led a group of one thousand angry farmers towards the state warehouse. they were going to seize arms, but were stopped by the militia. they were angry because they government would not help them when the depression made it hard on them. from that, they decided a stronger central government was needed. They sent representatives to revise the Articles of Confederation. -
Constitutional Convention
the constitutional convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, but led into a much more powerful change. they decided that a constituion was needed. so on the third day, the virgina plan wasd proposed. the smaller states did not agree so a new jersey plan was proposed. a compromise was met when the great compromise was proposed. this ended up working, giving us a two-house legislature, and three branches of goverenment. slave laws were also made during the convention.
