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Sep 18, 1215
Magna Carta
What is the Magna Carta?Signed by King John of England at Runnymede in Egham, Surrey, South England. People were given the right to be free from royal interference (Church), no taxes except the regular dues were levied, the right to due process leading to Trial by Jury, and all weights and measures were kept uniform. -
Mayflower Compact
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonist, on the ship Mayflower, was the first written framework of governent established in the US. Purpose of the document was to prevent dissent amongst Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims who had landed at Plymouth a few days earlier. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights, document setting out the rights and liberties of the subject.
a. Freedom from royal interference with the law, freedom to petition the Monarch, freedom from taxation by royal prerogative, freedom from the standing army during times of peace, freedom for Protestants to bear arms, freedom to elect members of parliament without royal intervention, freedom of speech, freedom to have a fair trial or not to be punished without trial, freedom from unjust punishment.
b. Charles I -
English Bill of Rights
An act declaring the rights and liberties of the subject and settling the succession of the crown.
a. The King and Queen, William and Mary, accepted the English Bill of Rights as a condition of their rule.
b. Monarchs could not establish their own courts or act as judges themselves to prevent Protestants from bearing arms, create a standing army and impose fines or punishments without trial, or impose cruel and unusual punishments or excessive bail. -
Albany Plan of Union
It was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in hope the united colonies could better orchestrate their own defense and governance. Even though it was rejected, it helped lay the groundwork for the Articles of Confederation. Franklin created the political cartoon entitled "Join, or Die." The cartoon depicted the British North American colonies as a snake cut into eight segments, each one designated with an initial of a separate colony in the case of New England. -
French and Indian War
This Seven Years' War was fought between Britain and France. The major battles were the Battle of Fort Necessity, River Monongahlea, Lake George, Oswego, Fort William & Henry, Fort Ticonderoga, Fort Frontenac, Fort Niagra, Quebec, and Montreal. Ultimately, Britain won this conflict with their final victory at the Battle of Quebec, leading to the fall of New France. Because of this event, the overall morales within the colonies grew much and Britain gained much loyalty from its colonies. -
King George III Takes Power
George IIIBefore Queen Victoria, King George III was Englands longest ruling monarch (1738-1820). During his 59 year reign he led the English military to victory in the Seven-Year War, and also guided the to successful resistance against France and the Revolutionist leader Napolean. He decided that he needed to have a standing Army in America, figuring that the Americans were British, so they would go along with whatever the king said. However Americans had enjoyed much more freedom than most Englishmen. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used.
a. Papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed.
b. It was so offensive to the colonists because of the standard it seemed to set. Trying to raise money. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers.
a. Killed five civilian men and injured six others.
b. Tensions in the American colonies had been growing since Royal troops appeared in Massachusetts to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place when a group of Massachusetts Patriots seized 342 chests of tea in a midnight raid on three tea ships and threw them into the harbor. It was a political protest against the tax policy of the British Government.
a. The Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts Patriots.
b. With the Intolerable Acts that ended local self-government in Massachusetts and closed Boston's commerce. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Massachusetts after the Boston Tea party.
a. Boston Tea Party
b. The British closed all of Boston's Ports, restricted colonist to have government/town meetings. -
First Continental Congress
Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams, and John Jay were amoung the delegates that met at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia in reaction to the Coercive Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to the new taxes. The outcome was a declaration that would state the rights of the colonists and halt the trade with Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
Hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to Concord in order to seize an arms cacche. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm, the colonial militiamen began mobilizing to intercept the Redcoat column. The fighting started off on the Lexington town green after a confrontation, and soon the British, led by Colonel Smith, were retreating under intense fire. Eventually, the colonists formally won their independence. -
Second Continental Congress
George Washington was chosen as the commander in cheif. The committee of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington drafted the Declaration of Independence. Not only did they completely break away from Britain, but they also started printing paper money later in the year. They met at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. -
Declaration of Independence
With the Revolutionary War in full swing, the movement for independence from Britain had grown, and delegates of the Continental Congress (Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin) were tasked with drafting a formal statment of the colonies' intentions. The Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, which is a date now celebrated as the birth of American independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The first constitution of the United States was the, Articles of Confederation. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.
a. John Hanson -
The Treaty of Paris
It ended the Revolutionary War between Great Britain and the United States. Adams, Jay, Franklin, and Henry Laurens signed for the United States. The treaty set the new borders for the US, including all land from the Great Lakes on the north to Florida on the south, and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River. -
Start of Constitutional Convention
The Start of Constitutional Convention was to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain.
a. It initiated a reform about the decision to summon a new meeting for the express purpose of considering changes in the Articles of Confederation to make the union more powerful.
b. To discuss some issues of interstate trade.
