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Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
This document was signed by King John at Runnymeade. It promised that the King would govern England and deal with his people according to customs of feudal law. Some of our governing rules we have today are copied from the Magna Carta. -
Jamestown settled
Jamestown was the first settlement of the Virginia colony, founded in 1607. It became the capital of Virginia until 1699. -
Mayflower Compact written
The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 English colonists upon settling in America. This document was important because it was the first written framework of government established in the United States. -
Petition of Right
This document, created by Charles I, gave rights and liberties to the people of Britain. This document was important because it gave rights to the British people. Also, it helped us form our American Bill of Rights. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was signed into law by King William III in the year 1689. It is one of the fundamental documents of English constitutional law, and was a milestone in the progression of English society. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. Although it never happened, it was the first plan to unify the colonies under one government. -
Stamp Act
Passed by the British Parliament, the Stamp Act imposed a tax on all printed paper used by the American colonists. The money from the tax was supposed to help fund the defense of the American frontier near the Appalachian Mountains. -
Boston Massacre
This incident took place whenever a group of rioters with snowballs hit a British soldier. The soldiers began to fire on the crowd and ended up killing 5 people even when they were ordered not to shoot. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place when an angry group of patriots from Massachusetts protested the monopoly on American tea importation. They snuck onto three ships and seized 342 crates of tea and tossed them into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
At this time, British Parliament was fed up with the antics of the colonies, like the Boston Tea Party. The acts were basically punishment that hurt in the means of trade and taxes. -
First Continental Congress
On September 5th, 1774, delegated from twelve of the thirteen colonies met to discuss what to do about the tension between themselves and Britain. They decided not to pledge independence, but instead they hoped to right the wrongs inflicted on the colonies by Britain. -
American Revolution begins
The Revolution began when 700 British troops marching into Lexington in order to seize Patriot leaders. However, they were surprised by 77 armed minutemen, and "the shot heard round the world" took place. Thus, starting the Revolutionary war. -
Second Continental Congress
In May of 1775, delegates from all thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to once again discuss the tension between the thirteen colonies and Britain. However, this time, they decided to revolt against Britain and King George, launching us into the American Revolution. -
Declaration of Independence
The D of I is a statement written by the Continental Congress announcing that the United States considered themselves as independent states and no longer a part of the British empire. This document is very important because it is what established the United States of America as an independent nation. -
Articles of Confederation
This document is very important because it was the first constitution of the United States as an independent country. It created a weak central government, leaving most of the power to the state governments. -
Shays' Rebellion
This was an armed uprising that took started in Massachusetts. Lead by Daniel Shays, protestors shut down country courts to prevent judicial hearings for tax and debt collections. -
Philadelphia Convention (Constitutional Convention)
Americans realized that the Articles of Confederation needed to be modified. At this convention, representatives from each state helped draft a new constitution that we still use today. -
Connecticut Compromise
Also known as The Great Compromise, the Connecticut Compromise took place during the Constitutional Convention in 1787. They were trying to determine the structure of the legislative branch and the repsresentation that each state would get under the United States Constitution. There were two groups who wanted different representation for each state, so they ended up compromising.
