-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was signed in June 1215 between the barons of Medieval England and King John.It was signed between the feudal barons and King John at Runnymede near Windsor Castle. The document was a series of written promises between the King and his subjects that he, the king, would govern England and deal with its people according to feudal law. Magna Carta was an attempt by the barons to stop a king from abusing his power with the people of England. -
Mayflower Compact
( Mayflower Compact )The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower on November 11, 1620. It was the first written document of government in the United States. The compact was created to prevent disagreements among the Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims, who had landed at Plymouth a few days earlier. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights was a petition sent by the English Parliament to King Charles I complaining of a series of breaches of law. The petition sought recognition of four principles: no taxation without the consent of Parliament, no imprisonment without cause, no quartering of soldiers on subjects, and no martial law in peacetime. To continue receiving subsidies for his policies, Charles was compelled to accept the petition and signed by King Charles I. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was passed by Parliament on December 16, 1689. It was a re-statement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary in March 1689, inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It limits the powers of sovereign and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, requires regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch wirhout fear of retribution. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a conflict that was part of a larger conflict between Great Britain and France known as the Seven Years' War. The French and Indian War began in 1754 and ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Britan won the war over all by winning battles such as the Batlle of Quebec, and the Battle at Fort Louisburg. Along with the French and British, the Native people also played a big part in the war. This event changed our relationship with Britain negatively. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. The plan was put together on July 10, 1754, by representatives from seven of the British North American colonies. Although it didn't end up happening, it was the first important plan to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. The polictical cartoon most affiliated with this plan is the "Join or Die" snake cartoon. -
King George III Takes Power
King George III was born June, 4, 1738, in London, England. He was King of England from 1760 to 1820 and during his rule he changed the relationship between Britain and the colonies greatly after the French and Indian War. He did this by setting up the Proclomation of 1763, which stated that Americans could not buy land west of the Appalachians and it gave the crown a monopoly in any land bought or negotiated from the natives. -
Stamp Act
( Stamp Act ) The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was forced on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Few colonists believed that they could do anything more than grumble and buy the stamps until the Virginia House of Burgesses adopted Patrick Henry's Stamp Act Resolves. -
Boston Massacre
Boston Massacre The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the peak of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston against the tax policy of the British government and the East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies. The Sons of Liberty protested by dumping tea into the Boston Harbor, but they dressed themselves up as indians to throw off the British. The British later found out about this protest and then continued to make more taxes on more goods going into the colonies. -
First Contiental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates. These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. Virginia's delegation was made up of the most major players with men such as George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Edmund Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison, Richard Bland, and Peyton Randolph. -
Lexington and Concord
Two lanterns hanging from Boston's North Church informed the countryside that the British were going to attack by sea. A series of horseback riders such as Paul Revere galloped off to warn the countryside that the British were coming. Some major generals involved in these battles were Thomas Gage, Thomas Gage, and Ethan Allen. The results of these wars were a revolutionary war. -
Second Continental Congress
The second continental congress was held in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia. At these meetings it was agreed that a Continental Army would be created, the Olive Branch pettition, and that George Washington was going to hire Hessian Mercenaries. Some of the colonial leaders were George Washington, and John Adams. -
Decleration of Independence
When armed conflict between bands of American colonists and British soldiers began in April 1775, the Americans were fighting only for their rights as subjects of the British crown. By the next summer, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, the movement for independence from Britain had grown, and delegates of the Continental Congress were faced with a vote on the issue. Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4th. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. It established a weak central government that mostly, but not entirely, prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy. The first president under the articles was John Hanson. -
Start of Contiental Congress
On May 25, 1787, a week later than scheduled, delegates from the various states met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. Among the first orders of business was electing George Washington president of the Convention and establishing the rules--including complete secrecy concerning its deliberations--that would guide the proceedings. -
Intolorable Acts
After the French and Indian War, the British Government decided to take more from the colonies. The colonies had to pay bigger taxes without any representation in Britain. This eventually lead to the Boston Tea Party. In retaliation, the British passed several disciplinary acts aimed at bringing the colonies back into submission of the King. The provisions of the Intolerable Acts were The Quebec Act, Administration of Justice Act, Boston Port Act, Quartering Act, and the Massachusetts Gov. Act.
