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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a document that King John of England (1166 - 1216) was forced into signing.The Magna Carta was a collection of 37 English laws. -
Petiton of Right is drafted
King Charles I wrote the petition of rights. The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific rights of the subject that the king is prohibited. The Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law. -
English Bill of Rights
The 1689 English Bill of Rights was a British Law, passed by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1689 that declared the rights and liberties of the people and settling the succession in William III and Mary II following the Glorious Revolution of 1688 when James II was deposed. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was Parliament's first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the colonies. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. The money collected by the Stamp Act was to be used to help pay the costs of defending and protecting the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains. The Stamp Act, was viewed as a direct attempt by England to raise money in the colonies. -
Townshend Duties
In 1767 the English parliament of British land tax, and,balance the budget, Charles Townshend promised that he would tax the Americans to make up the difference. Americans had drawn between internal and external taxes, he put through a series of acts laying import duties. The money that was collected was used to pay the salaries of British. They repealed all the Townshend Revenue Act except for the tax on tea, which was kept in order to maintain the principle of the right of colonial officials. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was because of the ongoing tension from the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773. It would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston. It was designed to prop up the East India Company which they were in big trouble financially and burdened with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea. They decided to tax the teas. This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies, and sold at a bargain price. Colonists in Philadelphia and New York turned the tea ships back to Britain. -
1st Continental Congress
Representatives of each colony, except Georgia, met in Philidelphia.They discussed their responces to the British "Intolerable Acts". -
Common Sense was published (Thomas Paine)
The document played a major part in uniting colonists before the Revolutionary War for freedom from the British. It's two main points were: independence from England and the creation of a democratic republic. He wrote it in a language of everyday use to make it easy for the poeple. -
2nd Continental Congress
The 2nd Continental Congress met after the Battles of Lexington and Concord. Colonists were still thinking about the two battles. The Congress met on May 10, 1776, in the State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is now called Indepence Hall. They wanted to break away from Great Britian. -
The Declaration of Indepence
The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of American history. It was writen by Thomas Jefferson anouncing their seperation from Great Britian.
