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Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
A document written by the feudal barons to limit King John's power. The Magna Carta influenced the founding father's when they were writing the Declaration of Independence. They included a section of grievances to the King in the Declaration. -
Jamestown Settled
Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in the Americas by Britain. This colony led to the colonization of the eastern half of North America and the establishment of British America. -
Mayflower Compact Written
This was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colonist written by the "Separatist" fleeing religious persecution in Britain. This was the first document written in what would become British American and eventually the United States. -
Petition of Right
This document set out what rights and liberties of the British citizens the King was not allowed to infringe upon. The Petition of RIght helped the Founding Fathers on the US decide what rights were important for the new states. It also helped them develop their new democratic government. -
English Bill of Rights
This document again lays out the restriction of the Crown by Parliment. It gives more power to Parliment and gives more freedoms to religious groups in Britain. This Bill of Rights was kept in mind by the Founding Fathers when writing their Bill of Rights for the United States of America. -
Albany Plan of Union
Benjamin Franklin proposed a unified government and states at the Albany Congress. This was the first step to creating a unified government and to the Articles of Confederation which was the stepping stone to the modern Constitution. -
Stamp Act
This act imposed a tax on all paper products printed with the British seal. This act was created because Britain felt that the colonies should pay for the British troops stationed in the colonies. This act greatly outraged the colonist and led directly to their cry for independence and ultimately the American Revolution and Declaration of Independence. -
Boston Massacre
Soldiers were stationed in Boston to protect British policymakers. A mob gathered and the soldiers, without being given orders, fired into the crowd and killed four people. This event developed in colonist minds that the British tyranny could not be tolerated anymore and they needed to take action. -
Boston Tea Party
This was a protest by the colonies against the large taxes that were pushed upon them by the British King, specifically the tax on tea. This event was the stepping stone to the colonies wanting and asserting their independence from Britain. -
Intolerable Acts
This document was passed to make an example of Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The Acts were passed in hopes of crushing colonial unrest but only made the colonies more angry. This eventually led to the American Revolution in 1775. -
First Continental Congress
This meeting was called in response to the passage of the Intolerable Acts to decide what the colonies were going to do to stop the tyranny of the British King. This meeting ultimately led to the idea of the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the Constitution. -
American Revolution Begins
This war began because the colonist in British America were unhappy with the way Britian and the Crown were treating the colonies. The war led to the colonies declaring their independence and their creation of a democratic government known at the United States of America. -
Second Continental Congress
This Congress met to lead the military charge against the British in the Revolution. They decided to enact the Declaration of Independence and were the stand in government for the colonies that would eventually become the United States. -
Declaration of Independence
This document stated the independence of the British American colonies from British rule. The document later helped develop the Constitution and Bill of Rights of the US. -
Articles of Confederation
This document established the United States as 13 sovereign states. This was significant to our government because it paved the way for our Constitution and layed out the ways the Founding Father's wanted our government to be run. -
Shay's Rebellion
This event was caused by financial difficulty in Massachusetts during the times of the Articles of Confederation. The rebellion attempted to stop the court systems from making decisions on the debt and taxes in the state. This rebellion led to discussions that the Articles of Confederation were not doing the job they were created to do and eventually led to the created of the US Constitution. -
Constitutional Convention
This convention was created to ratify or throw out the Articles of Confederation. The convention later voted on and wrote the US Constitution, today the backbone of the government of the United States. -
Connecticut Compromise
This compromise created the proportional representation in the House of Representatives and the equal representation in the Senate. The compromise shaped the legislative structure in Congress. -
Philedelphia Convention
This convention was called to initially ratify the Articles of Confederation because of the little power to call for war and pay their debts that the Articles gave the US government. The Convention eventually created the Constitution of the United States, still the most important document in the US.
