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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Signed by King John and the fuedal barons. the Magna Carta, meaning "Great Charter", was an attempt by the barons to stop a king from abusing his power.It was a written document stating the King would deal with his people according to the customs of feudal law. -
Jamestown Settled
Jamestown was the first permanent English colony. It served as the capital of Virginia until 1699. -
Mayflower Compact Written
The Mayflower Compact was signed abroad the Mayflower. It was written by Pilgrims who were fleeing from religious percecution by King James. -
Petition of Right
English Parliament sent a statement of civil liberties to King Charles I. They did this because he was beginning to abuse his power. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights guaranteed certain rights of the citizens of England from the power of the crown. This limits the power of the King and Queen. -
Albany Plan of Union
The New Albany Plan of Union placed the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. It was adopted by respresentatives from seven of the British North American colonies. -
Stamp Act
A new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and playing cards were taxed. -
Boston Massacre
Citizens did not approve of the presence of the British troops in Boston, and they started a riot. The Boston Massacre was a street fight between a patriot mob and British troops that resulted in five people dead. -
Boston Tea Party
The sons of liberty poured chests of tea into the Boston Harbor as a political protest. The British government's response escalated into the American Revolution. -
Intolerable Acts
Intolerable Acts are a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea party. It was a punishment to the Massachusetts colonists for throwing a large tea shipment into Boston harbor -
First Continental Congress
This was a meeting between twelve of the thirteen colonies at Carpenter's Hall.They discussed the response to the British "Intolerable Acts". Georgia did not attend. -
American Revolution Begins
700 British troops went on a mission in Lexington to capture the Patriot leaders, only to find 77 armed minutemen waiting for their arrival in the town's common green. This battle was the start of the American Revolution. The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
Delagates of the thirteen colonies gathered at the State House in Philadelphia. They established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. -
Declaration of Independence
This statement adopted by the Continental Congress stated that the 13 colonies were no longer going to be a part of the British Empire. They announced that they were going to refer themselves as independent sovereign states. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first Constitution adopted by the Continental Congress. The articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak cental government, which leaves most of the power with the state governments. -
Shay's Rebellion
A group of American farmers protested against judgements for debt and state and local enforcement of tax collections. It was named after the leader Daniel Shays. -
Philadelphia Convention
Each state appointed delegates to attend a meeting in Philadelphia to develop a more effective and unified constitution. There were 55 delegates from 12 states when the Philadelphia Convention began in May of 1787. -
Constitution Convention
The Constitutional Convention met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut compromise provided for a dual system of representation. In the House of Representatives, each state’s number of seats would be in proportion to population.
