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Feb 10, 1215
Magna Carta
First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown, to be implemented through a council of 25 barons. The Magna Carta was signed in Berkshire, England. -
Jamestown Settled
The founding of Jamestown, America’s first permanent English colony, in Virginia in 1607 – 13 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in Massachusetts, which sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. The colony was founded by the London Company, chartered by King James I. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first agreement for self-government to be created and enforced in America. On September 16, 1620 the Mayflower, a British ship, with 102 passengers, who called themselves Pilgrims, aboard sailed from Plymouth, England. This compacy was written by William Bradford -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right, first initiated by Sir Edward Coke in 1628, was a statement of civil liberties sent by the English Parliament to Charles I stating that no taxes may be levied without consent of Parliament, no subject 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. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights created separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech. -
Albany Plan of The Union
he Albany Plan of Union was a plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin, at the Albany Congress on July 10, 1754 in Albany, New York. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that imposed a direct tax on the colonies of British America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper -
Boston Massacre
On March 5th, 1770, five colonists were killed by british soldiers due to the buildup of tension between the American colonies heckling and antagonizing the soldiers and the Royal troops who were imposing a heavy tax by the Township Act. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, on December 16, 1773. The demonstrators, some disguised as Native Americans, in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were the American Patriots' term for a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies that met on September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to discuss their response to the British ‘Intolerable Acts’ and establish independence from Britain. -
American Revolution Begins
Early in the morning, British troops march into Lexington to find 77 armed minutemen under Captain John Parker waiting for the British on common towns grass. “ the shot heard around the world” was shot and the American revolution had begun. By the end of the Battle of Lexington, 8 Americans were found dead, and 10 were injured. Only one British troop was hurt. The British left and were commanded to come back to Boston. -
Second Continental Congress
On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were several new delegates including John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson, declared their freedom as a legitimate nation. It created a revolutionary movement in world history,and took place in Philadelphia. The Declaration of Independence is an important part of American democracy because it contains the ideals or goals of our young nation -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were the first constitution between all thirteen colonies, drafted and signed by the Second Continental Congress. The articles provided a system for the thirteen colonies to be able to conduct trade with Europe, control the American Revolutionary War, and deal with territorial disputes. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion was an uprising of popular support from farmers against a conservative Massachusetts that wanted to increase what were already some of the highest taxes in the colonies and militia that had been raised as a private army. -
Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Convention was a convention held in order to discuss amendments that were to be made to the Articles of Confederation. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement that large and small states reached during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that in part defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution
