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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
Created and signed by King John's Barons and himself in Runnymede, England, the Magna Carta required King John to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary—for example by accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land. -
The Mayflower Compact
The purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to ensure that the settlers who came off of the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock would establish a fair government ruled by majority. -
The Petition of Rights
Signed by Charles I, the main rights granted to those under this petition were that no taxes may be levied without consent of Parliament, no one may be imprisoned without cause shown, no soldiers may be quartered upon the citizenry, and martial law may not be used in time of peace. -
The English Bill of Rights
King William III and Queen Mary signed the English Bill of Rights in order to become soveriegns.The main purpose of this bill is to grant the people basic human rights for freedom of speech, right to bear arms for defense and be granted the right to a democratic process which would limit the Monarch rule. -
The Albany Plan of Union
English officials suggested the union between the royal, propietary, and charter governments. Later, delegates from these governments met in Albany, New York and adopted a plan of union drafted by Benjamin Franklin. However, after the plan was revealed, the British Government didn't push the idea because it would give too much power compared the His Majesty's Government. This meeting inspired the first politcal cartoon, "Join or Die", created by Benjamin Franklin. -
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The French and Indian War (The Seven Year War)
The French and Indian War was the last colonial war involving Sweden , Austria, France, and the Indians allied to Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, and fought against the British and the Americans for control of the colony outposts. They fought over the Ohio Valley and the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, and The British ultimately won, though at the cost of huge debt that they forced the colonies to help pay with the Stamp Act, which angered the colonies greatly. -
King George III Takes Power
After the French and Indian War, King George III sought to rid himself of debt from the war by taxing the colonies in many different ways. This caused an outrage in the American colonies which King George III promplty ignored, only furthering the anger the colonies felt towards Great Britain. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a result of the 7 year war to help pay for Great Britain's debt. It taxed virtually every piece of paper that passed through the colonies, from newspapers to legal documents, including playing cards and even the dice. In protest, people began to shout, "No taxation without representation" and the act was eventually repealed after New York issued a Declaration of Rights and Greviances. -
The Boston Massacre
Because of the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the unwelcome presence of British troops in Boston, a street fight broke out between a patriot mob and a group of British soldiers. It ended with 3 colonists being killed off the spot, and 8 injured, 2 of which died later. -
The Boston Tea Party
Most directly caused by the Tea Act passed on May 10th earlier that year, the Boston Tea Party was a protest by the Sons of Liberty, a group of colonists including Paul Revere, Samuel Cooper, George Hewes, and many others, that disguised themselves as Indians and threw almost 100,000 pounds of tea from England into the ocean. The British responded by making the Intolerable Acts of 1774 which closed the Boston Ports and destroyed the Massachusetts government. -
The Boston Tea Party (cont.)
The Boston Tea Party
The website linked here tells of historical accounts from the act, including one from George Hewes who took part in the protest, as well as different views and case studies on the act. -
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The Intolerable Acts of 1774
The Intolerable Acts were a result of the Boston Tea Party meant to punish the colonies. In general, the acts stated that the colonists had to pay for all of the wasted tea before ports were reopened, government, commitees, and town meetings were restricted, British troops were to be allowed in any colony housing, and British officials were be tried only in Great Britain.
UsHistory.org
Here is a more extensive explanation of the acts enforced. -
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The First Continental Congress
55 delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies (Georgia was absent), including Colo. George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Edmund Pendleton, Colo. Benjamin Harrison, Richard Bland, and at the head of them Peyton Randolph, all met in Congress Hall of Philidelphia, Pennsylvania.The results of this meeting was a Plan of Union of England and the Colonies, a Declaration of Rights, and many other drafts to protest Great Britains treatment of the colonies. -
The Batte of Lexington and Concord
For the British, their general was Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith. And for the colonists, their generals were Captain John Parker of Lexington and Colonel James Barrett of Concord. Pual Revere helped the colonists by riding around on horse back and warning the colonists about the coming of the British. The overall result of these conflicts was the start of the American Revolution. -
The Second Continental Congress
Taking place in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania, the Second Continental Congress introduced the idea of war and created the Continential Army, led by George Washington of Virginia.
History.com has a short video on Thomas Jefferson and the Continential Congress, as well as more information on this subject and many other videos on other topics. -
The Declaration of Independance
The Declaration of Independance was written largely by Thomas Jefferson on behalf of the colonies. The first part was the introduction and consisted mainly of the colonies stating their want to seperate from Great Britain, and why. Most of the document was a list of greivances that Parliament and the King took against American rights. And lastly was the formal "declaration of independance" stating their right to be free from Great Britain. -
The Articles of Confederation
John Hanson became the first President of the United States in Congress Assembled, under the Articles of Confederation. Three of the most successful things about the articles were the settlement of land disputes over the ohio valley, territorial arguments were settled, which led to greater expansion of the U.S., and it was a stepping stone to the current U.S. constitution. -
The Articles of Confederation (cont.)
Three main failures of the document were that there was no executive head of government, congress had no power to levy taxes over states, instead it depended on donations from the states, and congress could pass laws but were not able to force the states to obey them. -
The Treaty of Paris
Representing the United States, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens signed the document extending the U.S. borders west to the Mississippi and south to Spanish Florida and making the British finally recognize U.S. independance. -
The Start of the Constitutional Convention
The Annapolis Convention was a meeting at Annapolis, Maryland, of 12 delegates from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia that unanimously called for a constitutional convention. The original purpose of the Constitiutional Convention was to revise the Articles of Confederation, but many delegates wanted to create an entirely new document.
