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Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
All 63 Clauses of the Magna CartaThe Magna Carta was signed by the feudal barons and King John of England. It was signed at Runneymede near Windsor Castle. The Magna Carta promised laws that were fair and made sure everyone has access to courts if they wanted to present and issue. Freeman could not be imprisoned without going through the proper legal system under the Magna Carta. The 25 barons were to enforce the Magna Carta. -
Mayflower Compact
First written framework of government in the United States, signed by 41 colonists on the Mayflower. Designed to prevent dissent among Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims. Required all signers to accept the established form of government. -
Petition of Rights
Copy of the text within the Peition of RightsThe Petiton of Rights was a Parliamentary decaration of the rights and liberties of the people. Their new rights included: no free man should be forced to pay tax unless Parliament says so, no free man should be imprisoned unless he/she violated the law, sailors and soldiers can't be billeted on anyone, and soldiers and sailors can't be punished by martial law. The document was signed by Charles 1 when he came into power. -
English Bill of Rights
Parliament and King and Queen William and Mary of Orange were involved in the signing of the English Bill of Rights. It stated that Englishmen had certian unalienable civil and political rights. It limited the monarchy saying that they couldn't create a standing army, prevent protestants from holding and swear oaths to maintain protestantinism throughout England. Free speech in parliament was also included. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was suggested by Ben Franklin. It did not happen because the colonies were not ready to give up the local rights that they just won. The popular cartoon associated with the Albany plan is a severed snake with the phrase join or die, suggestion that the colonies should join together, or the entire project, the British Colonies, would collapse. This cartoon was created by Ben Franklin. -
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French and Indian War
The British and the French were battling for control of North America, the Carribbean, and India. The Major battles were at Quebec, because the French lost their hold in Canada. The British won this conflict and got Canada and Louisiana, but allowed the french to live there and keep their West Indian Sugar Islands and gave Louisiana to Spain. This weakened our relationship with England because we wanted them to pay for the war, and they wanted to generate revenue by implementing heavy taxes. -
King George III Takes Power
King George wanted the colonies to pay for their own security following the French and Indian War. He imposed the Stamp Act, and other taxes that infuriated the colonists. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was the first internal tax levied directly on American Colonists by the British and placed a tax on all paper products in the US. The colonis responded with mob violence because they thought the Act was unconstitutional, the Act was eventually repealled by the British. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of 5 colonists by British Soldiers. The tensions were building between the colonists and the British because of the recent taxes emposed by the Townshend Acts. -
Boston Tea Party
The partriots were the political group that organized the protest. The Coercive Acts of 1774 were intended to punish the colony in general and Boston in particular, both for the Tea Party and for the pattern of resistance it exemplified. -
Intolerale Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed to punish the Bostonians for their Tea Party and restore order is Massachusetts. The Intolerable Acts were a direct attack at the colonists and closed Boston off to merchant shipping, established military rule in Massachusetts, gave British soliders immunity in the colonies, and required colonists to quarter British Troops. As a result the colonists called the frst continental congress. -
First Continental Congress
Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, and John Jay were among the delegates. 56 delegates drafted a declaration of rights and a list of grievances.The meeting of the First Continental Congress took place at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. The First Continental Congress was in response to the Coercive Acts in the colonies. -
Lexington and Concord
Explaining the effects of the first battle of the Revolution at lexington and concord.The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the start of the American Revolutionary War. The colonists defeated an army of 700 british soldiers, but to this day, no one is sure who fired the first shot. The colonial army was commanded by General Barrett and the British army was commanded by Lord Percy. The British suffered extensive losses, but the colonists considered this an encouraging start to the war. Paul Revere rode from Lexington to Concord to warn the villages and Congress. -
Second Continental Congress
The battle of Ticonderoga took place on the same day as the Second Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Congress had to create and army for a war that was already started. In order to transform the army Ethan Allen trained them. George Washington was made supreme commander of the Continental Army. Congress also established the Olive Branch Petition as a last ditch effort to med the struggle with Britian. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin were the leader -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration was drafted a year after Lexington and Concord because the colonies were still trying to regain their rights as British subjects. A 5-man committee drafted a list of the colonies intentions and this committee included: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Ben Franklin and was adpoted by the United States on July 4th 1776 -
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Articles of Confederation
Layman's terms translation of the Articles of ConfederationThe Articles created a loose confederation of states and left most of the power with the states. Maryland was the last state to ratify the Articles. The Articles prohibited states from practicing their own foreign diplomacy. The first president under the Articles was John Hanson. -
Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris recognized American Independence from the United States. The United States was represented by Ben Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams. Talks of peace began in 1782 after the British defeat at Yorktown. The Mississippi was the new western boundary, Florida to the south and Canada to the north. The British finially recognized the Declaration of Independence. -
Start of Constitutional Convention
The Annapolis Convention was an important meeting to revise the Articles of Confederation. The meeting was called by Virginia to establish a uniform regulation of commerce. Only 5 of the 13 states were represented and Alexander Hamilton sent a letter to all the states to have a meeting in Philadelphia in May. Congress passed a resolution urging atttendance and at the meeting the Constituion was drafted.
