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Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was established in England in 1215 and was signed into law by King John, it was used to give the King rules to adhere to. Some of these rules are still used in modern societies- that nobody is above the law, the right to a fair trial, and that people who are taxed have the right to representation. The tenth amendment says no one is above the law, and the sixth amendment is right to a free trial. -
Mayflower Compact
This document was set up for the pilgrims to govern themselves. It relates to the constitution because it was the first document to establish self government in America. -
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
Were inspired by a sermon from Thomas Hooker. They provided an outline of the government to the colony of Connecticut. It was based on the rights of the individual, insuring that all free men share the right to elect their magistrates and secret, paper ballots should be used while voting. -
English Bill of Rights
This was established by the English Parliamentary in 1689. It was created after the Glorious Revolution of 1688. It gave rights to the citizens and protected them from the monarchy. It creates separation of powers, also established in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd articles. It also limits the power of the branches, mentioned in the bill of rights. Finally, it reinforced freedom of speech, which was established in the first Amendment to the Constitution. -
Albany Plan of Union
This was a plan made to create a government for the thirteen colonies. It proposed to elect a president general that was approved by the King. This was the first time the U.S. had a somewhat federal government, because each colony had representatives from their state, but there was also a national leader. -
French and Indian War
This was a conflict started between France and Britain, war was officially declared in 1756. The disagreement was about land, especially an expansion in the Ohio River valley, Canada, and Florida. After peace was reached, the colonies were strengthened and ready for westward expansion. -
The Acts
The Sugar Act placed a tax on sugar and molasses, the Stamp act was a tax used on all printed materials, the intolerable acts were a series of laws used by the British government to punish Massachusetts. The result of these Acts can be seen in Article 1 Section 8-"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration" -
First Continental Congress
Delegates from the colonies served as the government to the United states in 1774. It was formed in response to the Intolerable Acts. Together they laid out lists of rights and grievances. -
Second Continental Congress
Coming after the first, the delegates in this worked towards independence. This included Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. In 1776 the congress declared independence and ratified the Articles of Confederation, which came before the Constitution and served the same purpose. -
Declaration of Independence
This document officially separated the colonies from Great Britain. This document established natural laws, which are rights given to all people, ad this served as the basis to the Constitution which dealt with Governmental law. -
Articles of Confederation
This "first constitution of the United States" was adopted by the Continental Congress. These articles left most power to the state governments but also gave some to the national government and worked to strengthen it. -
Shay's Rebellion
This is what came to be known as a series of protests by American farmers against unfair tax collections. Many factors combined to lessen the farmers income, like bad harvests and economic depression, and on top of that they were paying high taxes. The farmers, mostly concentrated in Massachusetts, began protesting in 1786. Although they didn't cause much harm, politicians understood the message and gave them a reason to replace the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution. -
Virginia Plan
This was a plan from the delegates of Virginia to create a bicameral federal branch of government. This established that states with larger populations would have more representatives. It addressed many issues that later appeared in the Constitution like establishing three branches of government. -
New Jersey Plan
This was the opposite of the Virginia plan, it proposed that each state have one representative, instead of the number being based on population. It was rejected to be used, but some parts were still used, such as the senate getting equal amounts of votes per state regardless of population. -
Three- Fifths Compomise
This method was used to calculate population. Those who opposed slavery only wanted free people to be counted in thee population, but those who were for it wanted to include slaves. This led to each slave as being counted as 3/5 of a person. The population was used to calculate how many representatives each state gets. This agreement was ended under the 13th amendment to the Constitution.
