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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was written in order to stop England's king from abusing his power. It was a list of promises that King would have to make and follow in order to rule his people fairly. For example, people were given more rights over their own personal belongings. -
Jamestown settled
Jamestown was the first English settlement in the Americas and was settled in the colony of Virginia. They built it as a three sided fort and continued to build it up. This settlement helped start the foundation of the 13 colonies. Jamestown was the capital of the colony of Virginia until 1699. -
Mayflower Compact written
The Mayflower Compact was written by pilgrims fleeing England in attempt to find religious freedom. The Compact was signed while on the ship by most of the adult men. This document was consider a "social contract" and basically formed a set of guidelines for the pilgrims to follow once they settled a new land. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right was a document sent to the king by the British Parliment in order to reestablish certain rules for the King to follow. The petition mainly focused on no taxation without the consent of Parliament, no imprisonment without cause, no quartering of soldiers on subjects, and no martial law in peacetime. It helped to improve the lives of those under the King's rule. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was a document passed by the British Parliament that set limits on the King, Parliament, and gave certain rights to the citizens. It helped to reestablish these rights and powers in order to improve citizen lives. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan was created as an attempt to form a unified government for the 13 colonies against outside forces. It was suggested by Benjamin Franklin and thought to help with the US’s defense and overall wellbeing. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a law passed by the British Parliament onto the colonial people that stated that they must pay taxes on every piece of paper they printed. It angered the colonist because it was a law placed solely to raise money to pay for troops. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an event in which a mob of colonial citizens verbally abused British soldiers to point that they fired into the crowd. Five civilian were killed and six were injured. The soldiers fired on their own, without orders to do so. It served as a reminder of the violent nature of the British army and government. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the taxations England was placing on things such as tea. It helped prove a point to England that the people in the colonies were unhappy with the current laws. The group behind the protest was called the Sons of Liberty. The Sons often did things like protests in order to fight for liberty and freedom in the colonies. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were placed by the British Parliament onto Boston as punishment for the Boston Tea Party. The acts deminished Massachusetts's government and rights which angered the people of the 13 colonies and helped add to the build up that led to the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a convention held in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the delegates from the 13 colonies. Only 12 of the 13 colonies attended. The group worked to come up with a solution to the Intolerable Acts placed by the British Parliament. They decided on economic boycotts and a petition to the King. -
American Revolution begins
The war began as a fight over power between Great Britain and the 13 colonies. The British had a stronger Navy while the colonies had a stronger Army. It resulted in the the colonies (United States) gaining their independence from Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress gathered after the first and after the American Revolution began. They worked to gain independence and manage the war efforts from the US. The Second Congress included all of the delegates from the First Congress as well as delegates from the 13th colony. They preformed activites such as raising armies, strategizing, appointing diplomats, and making treaties to help the colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is one of the most well known documents even today. It was a document made to declare the colonies' independence from Great Britain. It was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 delegates. The colonies wrote that they were unified as a separate country, the United States. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation established the US as a confederation. After being approved by all 13 colonies, it was used as the United States's first Constitution. -
Shay's Rebellion
Effected by taxes and debt after the American Revolution, farmers in Massachusettes became frustrated with their government and began to rebel. One of the main rebel leaders was Daniel Shay. This event caused the US to re-evaluate their government thus leading to the drafting of the Constitution. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise, or the Great Compromise, provided a legal agreement that all states, no matter the size, would have equal representation. Each state would have 2 representatives in the upper house of legislature. The lower house's representatives would proportional to the population of the state. It helped to create equality between states and unify the country. -
Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, was intended to be a gathering to fix the problems with the government and Articles of Confederation. Instead, the men ended up drafting a new document, the United States Constitution. -
Constitution Convention
Also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the Constitution Convention was a gathering of delegates where they drafted the US Constitution to improve their government. For example, they decided on things like the division of power in the government. George Washington was appointed to run the gathering.
