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Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a written document established and signed by 41 English colonists on the Mayflower. The purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to establish a government for their colony in America and prevent disagreement and dissent between the Puritans and Pilgrims. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights were a series of rights demanded by English Parliament to Charles I. The Rights included in the document were that taxes could not be established without Parliament's consent, no subject can be imprisoned without evidence of committing crime, no soldiers may be quartered upon citizenry, and martial law cannot be used in times of peace. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was a document issued by England's parliament to King William and Queen Mary which served to limit the power of English sovereign. King and Queen William and Mary signed to agree to allow certain civil and political rights to their people. It forbid monarchs to act as judges in court without parliament's consent, prevent Protestants from bearing arms, and create cruel punishment or excessive bail. The Bill of Rights also granted freedom of speech to England's people. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. It was suggested by the seven British North American colonies, but never actually occured. The political cartoon associated with the Albany Plan of Union is a chopped up snake with the slogan: "Join or Die." The purpose of the cartoon was to exaggerate the importance of unification. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war fought mainly between Great Britain and France. Some of the major battles of the French and Indian War include: The Battle at Fort Necessity, The Battle of the Wilderness, Battle at Oswego, Massacre at Fort William McHenry, Battle at Fort Louisberg, and The Capture of Quebec. In the end, Great Britain was victorious, but damaged its relationship with America in the process, due to the taxes forced upon America to make up for money spent for the war effort. -
King George III takes power
King George III took power at 22 years old. As a result of the French and Indian War, Great Britain became in debt. King George III taxed America to gain money to pay off the debt. He damaged Great Britain's relationship with America further after the French and Indian War when he issued a Standing army to be stationed in America because he believed America was beginning to out grow England. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was a tax Great Britain forced upon the American colonies. The act required colonial residents to purchase stamps to be placed on legal documents, such as bills of sale, wills, contracts and paper printed for official documents. It also required stamps to be purchased for newspapers, pamphlets, posters, and playing cards. The American population strongly opposed the act and protested in retaliation until its repeal on March 16, 1766. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre occured in America when a group of Great Britain's soldiers shot and killed 5 civilians. The soldiers were enforcing the Townshed Acts, which led up to the shootings. -
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Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed to punish colonists of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The Intolerable Acts closed all ports in Boston until they paid for the tea destroyed in the Boston Tea Party. It also restricted the government of Boston greatly causing it to weaken greatly. It also granted soldiers to live in any colonist's home and receive trials for crimes in Britain rather in the American colonies. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress included Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, and John Jay. It took place in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a result of the first meeting, delegates organized an economic boycott of Great Britain and petitioned the King for a redress of grievances. The First Continental Congress resulted in the unification of the colonies due to the common interest of becoming independant of Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
The battles of Lexington and Concord were the result of tensions between the 13 American colonies and Britain soldiers. The continuous conflicts sparked the beginning of the American Revolution. On April 18, 1775, Great Britain sent 700 troops to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Paul Revere rode through Concord warning the American people of the arrival of Great Britain soldiers. -
Second Continental Congress
The second Continental Congress was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the meeting, congress discussed the ongoing war that began in Lexington and Concord. They discussed preparing and training an army of the American colonists. -
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Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government. This left most of the power to the state governments. The first president to serve under these articles was John Hanson during 1782 -
Start of Constitutional Convention
The Costitutional Convention was a gathering to discuss and fix the problems with governing the US under the Articles of Confederation. Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the United States Constitution was the result of this effort.
