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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
King John of England was forced to sign this document. The people of England found the way he ruled unfair and decided to go to him about it. The wrote a proclomation stating all the freedoms they wanted. -
Settlement of Jamestown
This was the first settlement in Virginia and was the capital up until 1699. -
Mayflower Compact
This was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. -
Petition of Rights
This document states certain freedoms that the king has to abide by. It mainly talks about taxes, placing soldiers in homes without concent, placing people in prison for no reason, and ristricts using military as law enforcement. -
English Bill of Rights
It limits the amount of power the king has and states the freedoms of Parliment. It also states that Parliment has to regularly elect new officials. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Plan stated that Albany wanted a President General to lead their union and that they had elected officials underneath the president. It was basically a government plan. -
Stamp Act
This stated that British government could not tax colonists in America. -
Boston Massacre
This was a shooting in Boston by British soldiers that were sent to enforce tax paying the King had set for the colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
This was a protest against the British government saying that the people of Massachussettes didn't want to pay the taxes the king had set for them. In the middle of the night a group of protestors went to the cargo ships and dumped out all the tea into Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
These were laws that came shortly after the Boston Tea Party. They mostly punished boston for their acts against the Crown. -
First Continental Congress
This was a convention of deligates coming from 12 colonies. It was a response to the Coercive Acts. They wrote a petition to send to the king. It had no effect, so they formed the Second Continental Congress. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress managed the warfare during the American Revolutionary War. This time there were delegates from the 13 colonies. Congress made treaties, decided strategies, and giving military positions. -
Begginning of the American Revolution
This was the U.S. saying they were done with Great Britain and they rebeled against the king and the king sent soldiers and they had fought in the revolution. -
Decleration of Independance
States the independance of the United States from Great Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
It wasn't ratified until March 1, 1781. This was the first constitution of the United States, later replaced by the constitution we have now. "The Articles provided domestic and international legitimacy for the Continental Congress..." Meaning the document showed they were allowed to take charge during the American Revolutionary War. -
Shay's Rebellion
The rebellion was named after one of the rebel leaders. The rebellion was caused by lack of currency, financial difficulties, and harsh government policies. -
Philadelphia Convention
This convention went on until September. They discussed how the government of the U.S. would work. The convetion was just supposed to slightly change the Articles of Confederation, but they came up with a whole new document. -
Constitutional Convention
Also known as Philidelphia Convention