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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, -
Founding of Jamestown
first permanent English settlement in the Americas. -
House of Burgress
It was the first representative assembly in the colonies and it served as a model for other colonies. The House of Burgesses met in Williamsburg, Virginia throughout the colonial period. -
Mayflower Compact
It was in essence a social contract in which the settlers consented to follow the compact's rules and regulations for the sake of order and survival -
Founding of Plymouth
First settlement of the Plymouth location. First explored by John Smith. Known as the first Thanksgiving. -
Paul Revere
Warned the people that the british were coming -
French & Indian War
The war was fought between the colonies of British America and New France, with both sides supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as Native American allies. -
Albany Plan of Union
a proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin, then a senior leader and a delegate from Pennsylvania, at the Albany Congress -
Sons of Liberty
An organization of patriots that was created in the thirteen colonies. Created to protect the right of the colonists. -
Stamp Act Congress
it was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unified protest against new British taxation. Parliament had passed the Stamp Act, which required the use of specially stamped paper for virtually all business in the colonies -
Boston Massacre
British Army soldiers killed five male civilians and injured six others. The incident was heavily propagandized by leading patriots, such as Paul Revere and Sam Adams to fuel animosity toward the British authorities. -
Boston Tea Party
Destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company -
First Continental Congress
The Congress met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade; rights and grievances; and petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. -
Second Continental Congress
A convention of delegates that started meeting in Philadelphia convention of delegates. Second Congress managed the colonial war effort, and moved towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence. -
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
The pamphlet explained the advantages of and the need for immediate independence in clear, simple language. It was published anonymously at the beginning of the American Revolution and became an immediate sensation. -
Declaration of Independence
announced that the thirteen American colonies,[2] then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. -
Articles of Confederation
A document signed amongst the thirteen original colonies that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution. -
Constitutional Convention
to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. -
Federalist Papers
a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. -
Delaware Ratifies Constitution
Delaware's ratification indicated that the states were indeed willing to consider an extra-legal document drafted behind closed doors. In many ways, the ratification process was a sort of second American revolution and Delaware's unanimous vote accurately foretold that it would take place without bloodshed. -
New Hampshire Ratifies Const
included several suggested changes to the Constitution -
Rhode Island Ratifies
Rhode Island became the 13th state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, thereby becoming the last of the original founding colonies to enter the Union. -
Bill of Rights Ratified
these amendments guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public.
