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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
This document was signed in the fields of Runnymede by King John of England. The document served as a treaty between King John and his barrons in order to prevent a Cival War. It prevented citizens from being randomly arrested for no reason. It also siad that nobody shall be denied justice. The National Archives website provides more details about the document. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact served as the first written framework of government established in the United States -
Petition of Rights
The Petittion of Rights declares that Englishmen have rights that include: no person should be forced to provide a gift, loan or tax without an Act of Parliament, theat no free individual should be imprisoned without cause, and that soldiers of the Royal Navy should not be in private houses without concent of the owner. This document was signed by Charles I. -
English Bill of Rights
The document was signed by the King and Queen William and Mary of Orange. It stated that monarchs could not establish their own courts or act as judges themselves; prevent Portestants from bearing arms and create a standing army; impose fines or punishments without trial; or impose cruel and unusual punishments or excessive bail. -
Albany Plan of Union
The document was created by Benjamin Franklin and it served as a unified proposal to unite the thirteen colonies under a national congress. It laid the groundworks for the Articles of the Confederation which was later written in 1781. -
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French and Indian War
This war was between the French and Indians vs. Brittan and the Colonists. The Battle of Quebec was the biggest battle of the war when the Brittish conquered the city of Quebec in a bloody uphill battle. The Brittish won and they thought that the colonists must pay for the war.
This video is a good summary of the causes and effects of the war, as well as what happened during the war. -
King George III Takes Power
King George III wanted the colonies to pay for the war so he passed the Stamp Act to help raise taxes for the colonists. -
Stamp Act
It was a tax place on all paper documents in the Colonies. The colonests said that only their own representative assemblies could tax them. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an event where a squad of Brittish soliders opened fire on a group of civilians when they were bombarded by snowballs. The soldiers were there to enforce the Stamp Act. For more information on the Boston Massacre check out this website which also detalis the effects of this event and the events leading up to the American Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
Massachusets patriots, The Sons of Liberty, protested the monopoly on American tea importation recently granted by Parliment by dressing up as indians and throwing 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The Brittish passed the Coercive Acts in 1774 to punish the colonists for this behavior. -
Intolerable Acts
They were passed to punisht the colonists for the Boston Tea Party. They included: the Boston Port Act, which closed the Boston Port until damages were paid; Massachusetts Government Act, restricted democratic town meetings; Administration of Justice Act, Brittish officials are immune to criminal prosecution in Massachusetts; the Quarting Act, which requred colonists to house Brittish troops; and the Quebec Act, which allowed Catholics to freely worship in Canada. -
First Continental Congress
Some of the delegates that attended were Patrich Henry, George Washington, John Adams and John Jay. They met in Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia to consider American resistance against the Brittish. -
Lexington and Concord
Paul Revere sounded the alarm signaling that the Brittish were coming. The result of this conflict is a victory for the colonists and it showed that they were able/ready to stand up and fight. The Brittish were lead by Colonel Smith, Major Pitcairne and Lord Percy. The clonists were commanded by Barrett, Buttrick, Robinsonm, and others. -
Second Continental Congress
The delegats, including John Adams, John Hancock, Ben Franklin, George Washington, assembled in Philadelphia, PA, They agreed to organize a Continental Army to be led by George Washington. They also formed a comittee for foreign relations and discussed printing their own money. -
Declaration of Independence
This document asserted our freedom and independence and was written by John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Fanklin. It was signed on July 4, 1776. -
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Articles of the Confederation
This document served as the first Constitution of the United States. There were no presidents of the United States named while the Articles were in effect, but the first president of Congress under the Articles was John Hansen in 1782 -
The Treaty of Paris
The US was represented by Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Henry Laurens, and John Adams. The US boundaries lie between the Great Lakes to Florida and The Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. The Brittish finally recognized the Declaration of Independence after the Treaty was signed. -
Start of Constitutinoal Convention
Delegates from 5 states called the convention in order to discuss possible changes to the Articles of the Confederation. Instead, they changed the govenment and wrote the Constitution, rendering the Articles of the Confederation obsolete.
