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Jun 19, 1215
Magna Carta
What is the Magna Carta? The Magna Carta, signed by King John of England, gave more freedom to the people, protected due processes, and barred an absolute monarchy. This image shows one of the four pages of the orginal document from 1215. -
Mayflower Compact
-Passengers abord the Mayflower were forced to land in the hook of Cape Cod. This made some of the passengers proclaim that since the settlement would not be made in the agreed upon Viginia territory, they "would use their own liberity; for none had the power to command them" to prevent this, many of the other colonists chose to establish a government.
-It was practically a Social Contract, in which the settlers consented to follow the copacts rules and regulations for the sake of survival. -
Petition of Rights
-Taxes can only be imposed by Parliament, the martial law can't be imposed in time of peace, and nobody can be imprisoned without a reason.
-Signed by Charles I. -
English Bill of Rights
-Signed by William and Mary
-Guaranteed the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion; the right to fair legal procedure and to bear arms. -
Albany Plan of Union
-Ben Franklin suggested this plan -It never happened -Ben Franklin made a popular political cartoon called "join, or die" about this event. -
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French and Indian War
-Britain and France were the major players in this conflict. -Major battles: Battle of Louisburg, Battle of Quebec, Battle of Quiberon bay -British ultimately won -
King George III takes power
- King George decided that he needed to have a standing Army in America, the problem was that now it had to be paid for, so the British taxed the colonies for the costs of the war.
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Stamp Act
Under the Stamp Act, printed paper, playing cards, licenses, newspapers, and legal documents were taxed. Colonial leaders were offended by the British disregard to colonial rights and their failure to gain approval from colonial legislatures. They also worried that England would attempt to tax more in the future. -
Boston Massacre
-5 Colonists were killed -The Intolerable Acts were being passed which led to this tragedy -
Boston Tea Party
-Organized by The Sons of LIberty -The British made the intollerable acts which closed boston ports and destroyed the government -
Intolerable Acts
After the Boston Tea Party, the British were fed up with colonial antics. They could tolerate strongly worded letters, but the destruction on 342 tea chests (belonging to the British East India Company) was beyond the limit. Therefore, they decided to close the Boston Harbor to trade until the owners of the cargo were compensated. Also, town meetings were banned and greater freedom was givin to British soldiers and commanders. -
First Continental Congress
-George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Edmund Pendleton.
-A compact was made among the colonies to boycott British goods starting Decmber 1, 1774.
-Took place in Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia, Pa. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress , where some of the most critical decisions were made, took place in Philadelphia, PA. At this time, the ideas of creating a Continental Army, how army supplies were to be paid for, and the priniting of money were discussed. In attendance were the famous colonial leaders, George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson. -
Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord These battles resulted in the beginning of the bloody and long Revolutionary War. Two hundred and seventy three British soldiers were lost in comparison to the mere ninety four colonists. Important generals involved were General Gage was a top British general, Colonel Smith who was a United States Representative of New York, Lord Percy (British commander).
Paul Revere was a silversmith and minuteman who rode to warn the villages on route to Concord that the British were coming. -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of Independence VideoThe Declaration of Independence was a basically a list of grievances against the Bristish crown with a very famous preamble. It was written by Thomas Jefferson who was among a five man committee that oversaw the document. Video:This video explains how profound it was to be a part of creating the document and the strong statements made to gain freedom. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first written Constitution that was established in the United States. The Articles stated the need for a central institiution to manage all affairs. The first president under the articles was John Hanson. This image shows the front page of the Articles of Confederation. It lists the thirteen states which were amongst the Union.
source:http://www.philadelphia-reflections.com/images/articlesconf.jpg -
The Treaty of Paris
Image Source-Benjamin Franklin and John Jay represented the US in the signing of the Treaty of Paris. The tboundaries of the U.S. spanned from the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Mississippi River on the west, Florida on the south, and Canada and theGreat Lakes on the north. After the Jay Treaty, the British removed troops and returned slaves.
This image shows the last page of the Treaty of Paris signed by all who negotiated the treaty. -
Start of Constitutional Convention
-Delegates at the Convention created a reform report that was sent to Congress and the states with a request for further discussion. The request led to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787.
-The purpose of the Annapolis Convention was to discuss revising the Articles of Confederation, and discuss commerce among the states.
