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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
means great charter. King John was forced to sign this. The Magna Carta established the principle of limited government, That way the power of the monarch, is not absolute. At first, the Magna Carta only applied to nobles, but as time went on, other groups began winning liberties. -
Virginia House of Burgesses
This was the first legislature in America, a mere 12 years after the settlement of Jamestown. Puritans believed they should be able to elect their own ministers and leaders, Eventually, England was forced to see that and the puritans reorganized their government so each town had two elected officials. -
Mayflower Compact
In colonial times, a written plan was the key feature. The pilgrims signed the mayflower compact so they had rules to govern themselves in order to survive in the new land. This is the first example of many colonial plans for self government. -
English Bill of Rights
This is a document that is very important to the American colonies. It clearly states what a ruler could and could not do. It applied to English subjects which were also the American colonists. The basic ideas of this bill were 1) Monarchs have no divine right to rule 2) Monarchs must have Parliament's consent on most decisions. -
French and Indian War
This war was started from a simple struggle between the French and the British. They each wanted to claim some lands over in western Pennsylvania and Ohio. -
Stamp Act
When George III took the throne, he decided to deal more firmly with the American colonists. He did this by imposing taxes on things like legal documents, pamphlets, news papers, and even dice and playing cards. This was the first direct tax on the colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
A result of the increasing revenue that Britain was doing, the colonists grew aggravated and decided to take a stand. A group of colonists dressed as Mohawk and dumped 342 chests of british tea into the Boston Harbor. -
First Continental Congress
The intolerable Acts are what prompted this. Virginia and Massachussetts called a general meeting of the colonies because of the Acts. -
Lexington and Concord
Also known as "Shot heard 'round the world."
This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War. -
Second Continental Congress
Three weeks after the first battle of the Revolutionary War is when the Second Continental Congress was formed. This congress assumed the powers of a central government. With no constitutional authority, the second continental congress still served as acting government through the war. -
Declaration of Independence
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman were named by congress to be the committee to prepare The Declaration of Independence. The edited draft was submitted June 28 and approved July 2. With only a couple minor changes, The Declaration of Independence was passed on July 4. -
Articles of Confederation
Not only did Richard Henry Lee propose the Declaration of Independence, but also this. It basically talks about the operation of the government and how the states want a confederation among the thirteen independent states. -
Peace Treaty with Great Britain
When Britain signed the peace treaty, they acknowledged American Independence. Also, Land acquired by Britain greatly enlarged the nation's boundaries. -
Shays Rebellion
When armed groups of farmers were forcing courts to close in order to keep their farms durinf the depression, Daniel Shays (former captain in the Revolutionary Army) led a band that closed down the state supreme court of Massachussetts. He than gathered about 1200 men and advanced on the federal arsenal in Spring field. -
Constitutional Convention
When this convention began, all states except for Rhode Island sent delegates. 74 delegates were appointed but only 55 made an appearance. Out of those 55, only 39 took a leading role. -
Virginia Plan
Introduced by Edmund Randolf of Virginia, it included 15 resolutions that James Madison had drafted. it proposed a government based on these 3 principles: 1) Strong national legislature with two chambers. 2) Strong national executive to be chosen by legislature. 3) National judiciary appointed by legislature. -
New Jersey Plan
This called for government based on keeping the major feature of the articles of confederation. A weak executive consisting of more than one person would be elected by congress. Also, a national judiciary with limited power would be appointed by the executive. -
3/5 Compromise
Since almost 1/3 of the poeple in Southern states were enslaved African Americans, the Southerners felt like they were not completely represented. So this compromise was established to give them a little more representation but not too much. -
Connecticut Compromise
This suggested that the legislative branch have two parts. 1) A House of Representatives based on population. 2) A Senate with two members from each state. -
Commerce/Slave Trade Compromise
Because Northern states wanted government to have complete power over trade with other nations, the Southern states were scared because they depended heavily on the agricultural exports. This compromise was put into place to ensure that they would still have the exports and that nobody could interfere with slave trade for 20 years. -
Rhode Island Ratifies
In order for the new constitution to become law, 9 out of the 13 states had to ratify it. This political debate lasted until Rhode Island voted for approval. However, the constitution went into effect on June 21, 1788 when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. -
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights limits the government's power by guaranteeing rights for citizens. This includes freedom of speech and protection from search and seizure. This helped to lessen the "fear of powers".
