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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was originally issued in Latin in 1215. It was the first document that attempted to limit the powers of the King of England and protect peoples privileges. It also required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary. -
Jamestown Settled
Jamestown was the first English settlement in the Americas. Jamestown was the capital of the Colony of Virginia for 83 years. Within a year, Polish and Dutch colonists were brought to help improve the settlement. The first Africans were brought in 1619. -
Mayflower Compact written
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. The Separatists who were fleeing from religious persecution by King James of Great Britain wrote it. 41 of the 101 passengers aboard the Mayflower ship signed the Mayflower Compact. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document. It states specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. It has restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, and imprisonment without cause. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights established a constitutional monarchy in Great Britain. It said that the monarchy could not rule without consent of Parliament. The English Bill of Rights declared the rights and liberties of the people. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was written by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. It called for all 13 colonies to unite and fight as one power to win the French and Indian War. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax put on the American colonies by the British that required a people to pay a tax on printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, and legal documents. It was called the Stamp Act because of the stamp that showed they paid the tax. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident in which British soldiers killed 5 civilians and injured six others. The legal aftermath helped start the rebellion in some of the British American colonies, which culminated in the American Revolutionary War. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. It was against the tax policy of the British government and the East India Company that controlled the tea that was imprted into the colonies. On December 16 a group of colonists oarded the three shiploads of taxed tea and dumped it all into Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
A series of laws that were in response to the Boston Tea Party. There was the Impartial Administration of Justice Act, the Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act, the Boston Port Act, the Quarting Act, and the Quebec Act. They triggered outrage that was important to the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress took place from September 5 to October 26. Delegates from each colony, except Georgia, met to discuss the current situation with Britain. This included the Intolerable Acts, which was the punishment for the Boston Tea Party. They sent a letter to King George III telling him that they would boycott English goods if he didn't stop the Intolerable Acts. If he didn't listen they planned to meet again in May of 1775. King George III ignored the letter. -
American Revolution begins
The American Revolution was a time when British colonists in America rebelled against the rule of Great Britain. It lasted from 1775 until 1783. It started out with protests and arguments and then turned into war. -
Second Continental Congress
In the Second Continental Congress was led by John Hancock and all 13 colonies were represented this time. This congress acted more like a government printing its own money, getting loans, and raising an army to fight the British. -
Declaration of Independnce
The Declaration of Independence was the document that declared America's independence from Britain. The Continental Congress appointed five men, called the Committee of Five, to write the document explaining why they were declaring their independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States of America. It was an agreement among the 13 colonies that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shays was a veteran of the American Revolutionary War and one of the rebel leaders. He was desperate to be paid for his service and led an attack on a federal arsenal in Massachusetts. This showed that a stronger federal government was needed. -
Constitution Convention
The Constitution Convention was a convention of 55 delegates that lasted four months. The men joined to write and organize the Constitution for a federal republic. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement that all of the colonies made at the Constitutional Convention. It shaped the legislative system and gave each state representation in the constitution. -
Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Convention was a meeting to discuss the issues with the Articles of Confederation. Representatives from all over the colonies came to debate a new form of government and came up with the Constitution.
