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1215
Magna Carta
Magna Carta ~ Great Charter
formal document stating that the King had to follow the laws of the land; guaranteed the rights of individuals against the wishes of the King; signed by King John -
Jamestown settled
America's first permanent English colony; located in Virginia; served as the capital for the colony for 83 years -
Mayflower Compact
determined authority within the settlement; established that the colony was free of English Law; 41 English colonists signed it on the Mayflower ship; was the first written framework of government established in what is now the US -
Petition of Right
major English constitutional document that sets out specific laws that the King is prohibited from violating -
English Bill of Rights
guaranteed certain rights to the citizens of England; signed by William of Orange and Mary II after being affirmed as co-rulers of England and Ireland by the English Parliament -
Albany Plan of Union
a plan to unify the government for the Thirteen Colonies -
Stamp Act
law requiring every colonial resident to pay taxes on every printed piece of paper including legal documents, bills of sale, contracts, wills, advertising, pamphlets, almanacs, and even playing cards -
Boston Massacre
a street fight that occurred between the "patriot" mob and British soldiers to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts; killed 5 people including Crispus Attucks - an innocent bystander -
Boston Tea Party
led by Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty; the crew threw 342 chests of tea overboard in a protest against the tax on tea -
Intolerable Acts
name by the American Patriots for a series of disciplinary laws passed by the British Parliament after the Tea Party; meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in throwing a large tea shipment into the harbor -
First Continental Congress
meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies; American colonial governments coordinated their resistance to British rule -
American Revolution begins
war of independence led by George Washington; began when the British started raising taxes -
Declaration of Independence
announced that the thirteen colonies were now thirteen independent sovereignty states (no longer a part of the British Empire) -
Articles of Confederation
the original constitution of the United States; served as the written document that established the functions of the government after it declared independence from Britain -
Shay's Rebellion
series of confrontation that took place in Massachusetts between desperate debtor-farmers and state government authorities -
Philadelphia Convention
held by the delegates from the 13 states that compromised the US; original purpose was to address the problems facing the federal government; what actually occurred was the formation of the US Constitution -
Connecticut Compromise
agreement that defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the US Constitution
