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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
On June 15, 1215, the citizens of England forced this document upon King John, and made him sign it. The Magna Carta limited the king's power by making him subject to law. It also required the king to deal with his sunjects using Fuedal Law, meaning they could own property, be protected form excess taxes, and established due process and equality of the law. -
Settlement of Jamestown
The ships Susan Constant, Discovery, and Godspeed set sail from England, in 1606, with over 100 men and boys aboard. Their goals were to become rich mining. After explorations, the colonists settled on Jamestown island in James River. The settlement was named after King James. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed in 1620, but first published in 1622, and was there to temporarily create a government until a new one could be drawn up. It ensured that they had a right to self govern themselves in New England, and ensured that pilgrims would stay with the colony and supply their labor. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights was created by King Charles I, and it stated no taxation without Parliament consent, no imprisonment without known cause, soldiers cannot be put in private houses, and martial law cannot be used in times of peace. The petition was set up as a safeguard to the people's rights. -
Enlish Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights were signed by William and Mary, creating a co-operation between parliament and the monarchy. It gives the requirement of elections in parliament, sets out the rights and rules of freedom of speech, and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It ensured certain rights that citizens and permanent residents were entitled to. -
Albany Plan of Union
Benjamin Franklin propsed the Albany Plan of Union to the Albany Congress in 1754. It called for unity between all 13 colonies against the French in the up coming war. It was to establish new layers of government including a president. It also propsed a grand council with appointed members. Although the congress approved the plan, it was shot down by all the colonies because none wanted to give up their power. -
Stamp Act
Although it was passed by Parliament on March 22, 1765, it did not go into affect until November 1, 1765. This act required that the majority of printed materials in the colonies be printed on stamped paper made in London that had the revenue stamp. Like many other taxes, this tax had to be paid in British currency, and not the colonial paper money. -
The Boston Massacre
British troops were unwelcome in Boston. A street fight broke out between the troops and a "patriot" mob who threw sticks, stones, and snowballs. When the soldiers were attacked, they opened fire into the mob killing 5 and wounding 6. -
Boston Tea Party
In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which called for a rise in taxes on tea. In response to high tea taxes, a group of 50 men disguised themselves as mohawk indians, and snuck aboard a ship in the Boston harbor full of British tea. In total, over 300 chests of tea were split open and dumped into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The intolerable acts were created in 1774 in repsonse to the Boston Tea Party. The acts created a lot of things, but the biggest one was it closed the port of Boston until the expence of the dumped tea was recoverd. It also moved the capital of Massachusetts to Salem, and made Marblehead the official port of Maryland. Another main one was the Quebec Act because it granted religious freedom to Catholics in Quebec, which is what Americans had wanted. -
First Continental Congree
Men met in Carpenters' Hall, in Philidelphia, in response to the Intolerable Acts. They considered options of economic boycott of British Trade, rights and grievences, and petitioning King George III for those grievences. Their main objectives were to compose a statement of colonial rights, identify British parliaments violations of the rights, and a plan to get Britain to restore those rights. -
Start of American Revolution
Boston knew that the colonists were hiding ammunition, General Gage sent troops in to seize rebel leaders and destroy the stores of ammunition in Concord. Paul Revere and William Dawes rode to warn the people of the approaching British. As soon as the British reached land, a line of colonists were waiting with muskets. 8 were killed and several were injured, marking the start of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, and they moved toward independence and managed the colonial war effort. They raised armies, directed strategy, appointed diplomats, and made formal treaties. They acted as the de facto national government . -
Declaration of Independence
The declaration of Independence is a set of grievences against the king in order to justify the seperation of all ties from Britain. It is America's most cherished form of liberty. -
Articles of Confederation
On November 15, 1777 the Articles of confederation were sent to the states for ratification, and on March 1, 1781, the last state ratified it. It served as the first constitution for the United States, and it secured freedom, sovereignty, and independence. However, it gave the majority of power to the states, creating a weak central government. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shay was angered by the fact the bank would not accept paper money as the form of payment to prevent forclosure on his farm. He led a rebellion of farmers against the government to show how angered they were about losing everything in the postwar depression. During the rebellion they freed imprisoned debtors from jail, burned barns of government officials, and shut down the commonwealth's suprem Because of lack of communication, Shay did not receive proper back up, and he was defeated. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise consisted of both the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan. It stated that the house of representatives would be proportional representation, and the senate would be equal representation. It also created the 3/5 clause stating that slaves will be counted as 3/5 a person. -
Philadelphia/Constituional Convention
The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, met because severe economical troubles, shay's rebellion, and the urge for a strong central government. Here they disreguarded fixing the articles of confederation, and started drafting a new plan of government. Many topics such as representation in congress and population including slaves were discussed. Out of this convention came the Constitution which was deemed the "supreme law of the land".
