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Magna Carta
A peace treaty that limited the powers of the king and the high class, due process of law, promised church rights, protection from illegal imprisonment, and swift justice. Founding fathers used it for inspiration on Bill of Rights. -
Jamestown Settlement
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America along the banks of the James River. Jamestown almost failed due to conflict with the Native Americans, famine, and disease but new settlers arrived in 1610 and the settlement expanded. Peace came with a colonist named John Rolfe marrying Pocahontas. -
Mayflower Compact
41 English colonist aboard the Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact. This document prevented conflict between Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims by agreeing to whatever form of government was established when they landed. The compact created a civil body politic to enforce just and equal laws and acts. -
Petition of Right
It protected civil liberties by restricting taxation, billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and the use of martial law. This constitutional document set out specific freedoms that the King is prohibited to violate. -
English Bill of Rights
This bill created separation of powers, reduced the power of the king and queen, strengthened freedom of speech, and improved democratic elections. It gave the Parliament more rights and allowed them to bear arms. -
Albany Plan of Union
Benjamin Franklin suggested a plan to unify the 13 colonies into a single government. With the French and Indian War approaching, Franklin and other delegates wanted to unify the colonies in order to have strength. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act put a tax on all paper documents in the colonies after Britain had war debt from the Seven Year's War. Colonists protested and mobbed because they said "no taxation without representation". -
Boston Massacre
British Soldiers shot into a mob of protesters and killed 5 people and injured 6. This incident was heavily publicized especially by Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. This incident increased the tensions between the colonies and the British. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty carried out a political protest by destroying a shipment of tea and throwing chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was in defiance of the Tea Act which heavily taxed tea enforced by the British government. The colonist believed in "no taxation without representation.". -
First Continental Congress
Delegates from 12 colonies met in response to the Intolerable Acts proposed by the British government. They boycotted British imports and wrote a list of grievances against the King. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were meant to punish the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They took away Massachusetts self government and historic rights. These acts outraged colonists and fueled the fire for the rebellion. The Boston port was closed and town meetings were limited. -
Second Continental Congress
Delegates met and managed the colonial war effort. They helped raise armies, direct strategy, appointed diplomats, and made formal treaties. They reconvened from the First meeting and worked toward independence. John Hancock was appointed president. -
American Revolution
A decade before the war, tensions between the colonies and Britain had been rising due to the Stamp Act, Tea Act, the Boston Massacre, and many other issues. In 1775, local militia clashed with British soldiers in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, starting the American Revolution. -
Declaration of Independence
This document officially and formally announced the colonies' separation from Britain. Mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, it outlined the reasons for leaving Britain's rule and stated that certain rights are unalienable. This document was revised by the Second Continental Congress and signed by 56 delegates. Many regard this as the most historic and important document in history. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution. It established the functions of the national government after the U.S' independence. It allowed the states to stay sovereign and independent. Congress was allowed to make treaties, alliances, maintain armed forces and coin money, but overall it established a weak centralized government. -
Shay's Rebellion
This was the name of a series of protests by American farmers against local and state tax collections. Especially in Massachusetts, farmers were threatened with bad harvest, economic depression, and high taxes. A farmer named Daniel Shays led an uprising against lawyers and supporters of state government but were crushed by the state militia. -
Philadelphia Convention
The U.S. Constitution was made during this convention. George Washington was appointed to conduct the meeting. The composition of the Senate and how powers should be divided were discussed here among many other ideas. 39 delegates signed the Constitution. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that small and large states would all have two representatives in the Senate. They also agreed that each state would have the proportional amount of representation for the size and population of each state.
