-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
find info about magna carta King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. He was forced to sign the document after the citizens of England threated to start a civil war. The document was a symbol for freedom of opression and it granted concessions to his citizens. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 English Colonist that were on the Mayflower. It was written to prevent dissent amoung Puritans and non-separatist Pilgrims that landed at Plymouth a few days before. The compact made the signers agree to whatever government was chosen and it is the framework for the United States government today. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights was a document that set specific liberties for the people that the king was prohibited from infringing. The document contained restrictions on non- parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause and restricts the use of martial law. King Charles and the Parliament had disputes after Parliament refused to provide subsidies to support the war efforts. The document was signed by Charles I. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights were adopted in 1689 by the Parliament to put an end to the Glorious Revolution. Mary and William were put on the throne after the Glorious Revolution and they took part in the signing of the English Bill of Rights. This document gave the right to Parliament to be able to put limits on the crown and for the Parliament to have freedom of speech. They also had to right to have regular elections and to petition the monarch. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany plan of union was suggested by Benjamin Franklin in an attempt to create a unified government for the thirteen colonies. Franklin's plan was rejected, but it helped lay the groudwork for the Articles of Confederation which became the first constitution of the United States. "Join or die" is a popular political cartoon of a snake cut into eights with the regions or colonies initials on it. It was created by Benjamin Franklin. -
Period: to
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was fought from 1756 to 1763. The British and the French were fighting over different territories in the United States. Some of the major battles of this war were The Battle at Fort Necessity, Battle at Fort Louisburg and The Capture of Quebec. The result of the war was the Treaty of Paris and France lost most of their territory to Britain. Our relationship with the British changed due to the fact that Great Britian raised US taxes to help pay for the war. -
King George III takes power
King George III took power of Great Britain and Ireland in 1760 when his grandfather, Kind George II, died. George was only 20 years old when he took the throne and he was born and educated in Great Britain. After the French and Indian War, relations with the colonies changed. The British colonists defeated the French but the war cost a lot of money. King George III did not want to tax his people any higher than he already did so he taxed the colonists. This angered many of the colonists. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first tax that was directly imposed on American colonists by the British government. The Stamp Act was created after the Seven Years' War because Great Britain was in a huge amount of debt. This act placed a tax on all paper documents. The colonists thought that this act was unconstitutional and they resorted to mob violence to force stamp collectors to resign. The Stamp Act was repealed in 1766. -
Boston Massacre
boston massacre videoThe Boston Massacre occurred on March 5th, 1770. A group of American colonists gathered at the Customs House in Boston. The mob, who called themselves the Patriots, started protesting and harrassing the soldiers guarding the building. They were protesting the Townshend Act and this led to the soldiers firing at the mob. After the first shot, all of the soldiers starting firing and when it was all over, five colonists were killed. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party took place when a group of Massachusetts Patriots were protesting the British Parliament's Tea Act of 1773. The bill was designed to save the East India Company by lowering its tea tax. The Patriots dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. The British were outraged by this act of destruction and they enforced the Intolerable Acts in 1774. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were passed by the British Parliament toward Massachusetts after the Boston Tea Party. The acts stripped Massachusetts of self-government and historic rights and this triggered outrage and resistance in the Thirteen Colonies. The Intolerable Acts was a main event that lead to the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. 56 delegates from all of the colonies except Georgia met and drafted a declaration of rights and grievances. The people elected Peyton Randolph as the first president of Congress. Patrick Henry, George Washington and John Adams were a few of the major delegates that took part in this event. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the start to the American Revolution fought from 1775-1783. There was a lot of tension between the 13 colonies and the British authorites and on the night of April 18th, Joeseph Warren learned that the British were coming to march on Concord. He notified Paul Revere and William Dawes and they were to alert all of the residents. Samuel Adams and John Hancock were important generals that were involved. The British arrived at Lexington and they were beaten. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania after the American Revolution had already begun. The Congress faced the task of conducting the war. They had to figure out a plan to fight the war against the British. Many of the same 56 delegates from the first continental congress came together for the second one. New arrivals included Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock. They moved toward adopting the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independence
transcription of delcaration of independenceThe Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4th 1776. It announced that the 13 colonies were no longer part of the British Empire and they were their own independent states. They formed a new nation known as the United States of America. John Adams was a leader pushing for independence and he persuaded the committe to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document. -
Period: to
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the 13 states that established the United States of America as a confederation and served as its first constitution. The formal ratification was in 1781 and in 1789 the Articles of Confederation was replaced by the U.S. Constitution. The first president under the Articles of Confederation was John Hanson. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783 and it ended the American Revolutionary War. The United States was represented by John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. The document gave the United States new boundaries north to British Canada, west to the Mississippi River and south to Spanish Florida. The British finally recognized the U.S. Constitution and the independence of the United States. -
Start of Constitutional Convention
The Contitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to address problems in the governing of the United States after the Articles of Confederation were written. The goal was to revise the Articles of Confederation but instead they wanted to create a new government. Delegates were supposed to be sent to Annapolis for a meeting about the Articles of Confederation but not all of the states went so James Madison called for a national convention in Philadelphia, PA.
