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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
It was a charter agreed by King John of England to make peace between the unpopular king and the rebels. the charter was meant to protect the rights of citizens. niether side stood behind their committments in the charta and it was eventually annuled by Pope Innocent III, leading to the first Baron's War. -
Jamestown Settlement
This was the first permanent English settlement in the Americas. It had a brief abandment in 1610. Jamestown served as the capital of the colony for 86 years. -
Mayflower Compact
This was the first governing document of the plymout colony. It was written by separatest congressionalists that called themselves "saints". They are now referred to as Pilgrims. They were fleeing from religious persecution by King James. -
Petition of right
The King of England was forced to assent to the Petition of Right. It asked for a settlement against the king's non-parliamentary taxation and imprisonment without trial.The petition was granted by the King's grace rather than "of right". -
English bill fo Rights
These bills created seperation of powers, limited the powers of the King and Queen, and enhanced the democratic election. It main purpose was to protect the rights of an individual. For example, it prohibited cruel and unusual punishment, -
Albany Plan of Union
It was a proposal to create a unified government for all thriteen colonies. It was suggested by Benjamin Frankling at the Albany Congress. The plan was one of multiple attempts to create a union of colonies under one government. -
Stamp Act
This was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain that imposed a direct tax on British colonies and required that many printed materials be produced on stamped paper made in London. The purpose of the act was to help pay for British troops on North America. The colonies agrued that the soldiers were not needed and that Britain should ahve to pay for them. -
Boston massacre
It was an incident in which British Army Soldiers killed five male citizens and injured six others. This incident was heavily propagandized by leading patriots. This incident made many citizens angry with British authorities -
Boston Tea Party
it was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston. Protestors destroyed an entire shipment of tea in defiance of the Tea Act. They boarded ships and threw chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. This protest escalated into the American Revolution. -
Intolerable Acts
It was the American Patriots' name for the laws made by Britain after the Boston Tea Party. These acts were meant to punish Massachusetts for throwing all of the tea into the harbor. In Britain these were called the Coercive Acts. The acts caused outrage and resistance in the 13 colonies. -
First continental congress
It was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies in Philadelphia, PA, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to "the Passage of Coercive Acts" by the British Parliament. These acts punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. Georgia was the one colony that declined to meet. -
American Revolution begins
This rebellion was the beginning of British colonies in North America declaring their independence from Britain. The war was caused by many Americans resisting taxes imposed by the British government. patriots rebeled because they felt that the taxes were unconstitutional. -
Second Continental Congress
This was a convention of delegates from all 13 colonies that started meeting in the summer of 1775 in Philidelphia, PA. This congress managed the colonial war effort and worked toward independence. This congress acted as the government of what became the United States. Many people from the first continental congress were also in the second. -
Declaration of Independence
This document announced that the 13 American colonies saw themselves as 13 sovereign states , independent from the British Empire. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the original draft of the document. -
Articles of confederation
This document was signed by the original thirteen colonies and established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states. It functioned as the United States' first constitution. Its ratification by all thirteen states was complete by early 1781. It is eventually replaced by the US Constitution that we use today. -
Shay's Rebellion
It was an armed uprising that took place in Massachusetts. It was led by Revolutionary war veteran Daniel Shay. He essentailly tried to overthrow the United States Government. It led to a stronger national government to stop possible future rebellions. It was caused by perceived economic terrorism -
Philadelphia Convention
It was also known as the Constitutional Convention. It was meant to address problems in governing the United States of America. It was currently operating under the Articles of Confederation after its independence from Great Britain. The goal was to create a new government, rather than fix the existing one. It resulted in the United States constitution. -
Connecticut Compromise
It was an agreement that large and small states reached during the constitutional convention. It resulted in fair representation for large and small states. This cause the creation of the Senate and House of Representatives. -
Constitional convention
It is also known as the Philadelphia conventipn. It was meant to address problems in governing the United states of America. The main purpose was to get rid of the old government, which operated under the Articles of confederation, and create a new one.
