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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was signed: It was the fist piece of legistature, signed by King John of England, that limited the kings power, and did not give him unrestricted power. It was one of the first pieces of basic legislature that starts to define the government procrocess which is seen more complexly in the present day constitution. To the colonists, and the writers of the constitution it was a mark of the start of spread out power, and checks and balanc system in the government. -
Period: Jun 15, 1215 to
Events leading up to the constitution
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House of Burgessed
*House: Government system of the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia.
*Significance: First representative government in the new world.
*Colonists: Higher class colonists sat in the house deciding and regulating the colony.
*Future: Inspired along with the British government system, the representative policy as it is seen today in the US government (house and senate). -
Mayflower Compact
*Compact: The governing document of the pilgrims living in plymoth.
*Significance: The first organized form of government in the colonies in the new world.
*American: It set down the first government in the new world, showing that the people in the colonies could govern themselves.
*Future: This drive of the colonists to form a strong government was illustrated later by the creation of the Constitution. -
salutary neglect
*Salutary Neglect: Britain ignored the happenings in the colonies form around 1650-1750. The colonies were allowed to govern themselves for the most part.
*importance during the Time: Allowed the colonies to interact by its self- gave the colonies a seperate identity. *Impact on Colonists: Colonists became independent and traded with which ever country they wanted.*Impact on future: When Britain came back to take control of the colonies after almost 100 years, the colonies were unwilling -
Albany Confrence
*Confrence: On the onset of the war the Colonies and some british representatives met together in order to formultate a strategy in the French and Indian War.
*Significance: Ben Franklin asked for the Albany plan, which would allow the colonies to unite under one colony power to fight the war. The British refused.
*Colonists: Showed that the British were afraid of the colonists becoming united.
*Future: During the war the colonists created their own sense of identity and began to seperate. -
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
*The War: Fight between british colonist and british troops (with some indian allies) vs. the french and some indian allies for contoll of the ohio river valley.
*Significance: First war fought primarily by the colonists.
*The Colonists: By the end of the war strong hated the British troops for their vicious manner.
Future: The contempt lead to the colonists finding a new identity. It is another reason they became a seperate country. -
King George III
*King George III: King of Britain in 1700-1800's.*Significance: After the 7 year war he took an interest in the colonies as a way to make revenue and decrease the countries debt. *Colonies: After years of salutary neglect the colonists were not happy of the attention and taxes the King forced on them.*Future: Eventually the colonies left Britain because of the Monarch's rule and bad laws/taxes. -
Proclamation of 1763
*Proclamation: Ruled by the King that settlers could not settle west of the Appalachian Mountains.*Significance: A move made by the King to help stabilize a relationship with the natives.*Colonist: This angered the colonists, for they wanted to expand west. *Future: The colonists broke the rule and expanded west. They were angry at the king for putting down the law, and thus the tension between the colonists and the british grew. -
Stamp Act
*What was it: Tax on paper products: books, paper, etc.
*Importance at the Time: It angered the educated colonists: lawyers, teachers, newspaper publishers, and writers.
*Impact on colonists: turned much of the colonist population against the british, because of media and other sources.
*impact on the future: many of those who were angered were scholars like Thomas Jefferson, who drafted the declaration of independence, thus making the United States its own country. -
Declatory Act
*Act: Said that British Parliament had supreme control in the colonies.
*Significance: Came out with the repeal of the stamp act. The British tried taking more power from the colonies.
*Colonists: They were enraged, the British taking this much power was in their eyes wrong.
*Future: This added to the British, Colonist tension, which eventually overflowed when the colonies declared their independence. -
Boston Massacre
*Massacre: In Boston British troops were provoked by Boston colonists and fired into the crowed killing 5 people. *Significance: showed the tension growing between the British and the Colonists.*Americans: The Son's of Liberty exaggerated the incidence as a massacre in order to make people hate the British.Future: This event was used a propaganda to encourage people to revolt against the British, this tension eventually broke with the US becoming its own nation. -
Tea Act
*Tea Act: Made it so that the colonies were taxed for tea, in order to safe the East India Trading Company*Significance: Colonists became angry that there tea was taxed*How it affected the colonists: They responded with the boston tea party*Future: Aggravated the anger between the colonists and british, lead to, with other problems, the declaration of independence. -
Boston Tea Party
*Tea Party: Colonists climed aboard british ships and poured great amounts of tea into Boston Harbor.
*Significance: Shows the Colonists starting to revolt against British control.
*Colonists: The colonists were extremely angry about the tea act, when british refused to return the taxed tea to britan they dumped it.
*Future: This event hosted by the sons of liberty would act as propoganda for more rebelious actions. -
Intolerable Acts
*Acts: Response to the boston tea party, Several acts and taxes that lessened the power of the colonists.
*Significance: Created more tension between the colonists and the british.
*Colonists: The colonists were enraged that this could ever happen. Some wanted to sabotage the british, though this did not take place with large organized groups.
*The colonies met in the 1st continental congress to address the issue. -
1st Continental Congress
*Congress: The colonies met together in order to come up with a way to have the crown get rid of the intolerable acts and other taxes. *Significance: It shows the beginning of organized unity between the colonies.*Colonists: Attempts to appeal to the crown to remove the taxes. For the most part it was unsuccessful
*Future: This organized congress would meet once more before the onset of the war, in order to try an keep war from breaking out. -
Revolutionary War
*The War: lasted until 1783 (treaty of paris), it marked the fight of the Colonies to become a nation.
*Significance: The US became a country by leaving the british
*Importance to americans: They were an independent nation. My colonists fought and died in the war
*Future: After the war the country had to set up a suitable government which would run.The constitution if the final result of all the trials and errors. -
Second Continental Congress
*Congress: Congress met in order to see if they could re-connect with the British, and if not to get ready for war.
*Significance: Showed that the Colonies were the most united they had ever been but were not going to start a war rashly.
*Colonists: Sent the Crown the Olive Branch Petition in order to keep from war. By the time it was received they were already branded traitors to the crown.
*Future: War broke out with appointed George Washington in Command. The US eventually won the war. -
Olive Branch Petition
*Petition: Right before war broke out the US asked King George III to allow them back, and asked him to be kinder to the colonies. *Significance: It showed that the colonies wanted mutual respect and did not want to lose all ties with Britain
*Americans: Although they were angry because of all the taxes, the second continental congress thought it wise to remain British
*Future: King George III refused the offer and branded the colonist traitors, the war then began. -
Declaration of Independence
*Declaration of Independence: The article written, specifying that the US was now a country, and the reasons for leaving Britain
*Significance: It marked the United States as its own country.*To the colonists: ready to be their own country independent of the british.*Future: allowed the US to govern them self Lead to the create of the Article of Confederation and the Constitution. -
Battle of Saratoga
*Battle: Regarded as one of the most famous battles in the Revolutionary War.*Significance: the American Victory was a turning point in the war. Seeing the American promise the French decide to assist the Americans in cutting of British supply lines.*Americans: Gave them new vigor, and depleted British resources.*Future: This battle is considered by many to be the reason that the Americans were able to win the war, it is the reason the US was able to survive. -
Articles of Confederation
*Articles of Confederation: The first concrete set of laws to govern the united states.*Significance: Showed that the US was starting the trial and error process of becoming self governed. *To Americans: Gave to much power to individual states. Thus the country was not as United.*Future: The articles failed, but lead way to the Constitution, in which the errors of the Articles were corrected. -
Shay's Rebellion
*Rebellion: An armed uprising which was caused by revolutionary war veterans and common people being upset up the bad economic condition and lack of hard currency in the nation.
*Significance: Marked of the worst calamities under the weak Articles of confederation.
*The Americans: Many of the war veterans (such as shay) were angry that they had not gotten significant pay after/for the war and started the uprising.
*Future: This was cause by a weak federal government. The constitution fixed this. -
Federalist Papers
*Papers: A series of several essays written by federalists to convince the anti-federalists to ratify the constitution. *Significance: Portrays the difference in ideals of the US first two political parties.*Americans: Federalists wanted a strong federal government, while anti-federalists were more convinced about the rights of people. *Future: The compromise came in the form of the Bill of Rights which specified the rights of the people. Thus the constitution was ratified. -
US Constitution
*Constitution; The Governing document of the United States, written to set down guidelines for the government.
*Significance: Marked the end of a trial and error period for a stable governing system to lay the law of the United States.
*Americans: Gave the americans their rights as well as the supreme power in the government.
Future: To this day it is our governing document and helps us maintain and smooth working system. -
President George Washington
*Washington: The nations first president. A celebrated war hero, and one of the nation's founding fathers.
*Significance: Did not take the popular position of king instead became the President a leader of government who works with other parts of government and the people to form a smoothly functioning nation.
*Americans: Loved, supported and Celebrated by the american people, who saw him as the reason they had defeated the British.
*Future: To this day there is a president not a monarch. -
Bill of Rights
*Bill of Rights: Written as a complement to the Constitution, composed of the undeniable rights given to people/citizens.
*Significance: The piece of the constitution protects the individual from the government.
*Americans:It was written so the anti-federalists would ratify the constitution.
*Future: the constitution was ratified, and to this day people look to the bill of rights for their rights.
