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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
Road to the Constitution Timespan
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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta was signed
The Magna Carta was one of the most important documents in Medieval England. It was signed by the feudal barons of England and King John at Runnymede, which was near Windsor Castle. The Magna Carta stated that the king would rule England and govern its people according to feudal law. It promised laws that were fair, and that everyone would have access to the courts. It also stated that no freeman would be imprisoned or punished without first going through the legal system. -
The Mayflower Compact was signed
The purpose of the Mayflower Compact was to prevent fighting and dissent between the Puritans and the non-separatist Pilgrims who arrived onboard the Mayflower. It was signed by 41 English colonists, and it was the first written framework of government that was established in pre-United States. -
The Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights was was a document passed by Parliament that belongs in the same group as the Magna Carta. It gave the people several new freedoms, including the restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxes, no forced billeting of soldiers, no imprisionment without a proper cause, and no use of martial law to convict soldiers or sailors.The petition was drafted by Parliament and signed by King Charles I at the beginning of his reign. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was signed by William III and Mary II. It denounced King James II for his abuse of power, and it gave many freedoms to the people, including the right of free speech for members of Parliament, no taxes could be levied without the authority of Parliament, and no excessive fines or cruel punishments could be inflicted. The English Bill of Rights established a constitutional monarchy in Great Britain, and was a major influence on the U.S. Constitution. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, was fought between Britain and the colonies and France and their allied Native Americans. Two of the major battles of this war were (1) the Battle of Fort Necessity, where the French attacked Washington's Militia, and (2) the Battle of Montreal, where the French ultimately put down their weapons. The war ended with the Treaty of Paris and Britain's victory. Britain's taxes/mercantilism policies after the war angered the colonists. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was devised to place North American colonies controlled by the British under a more centralized government. It was suggested by Benjamin Franklin, and it was adopted on July 10th, 1754 by the seven representatives from each of the colonies. It was never actually put into action, but it was the first important plan that placed the colonies together as a whole under one government. "Join or Die" is the popular cartoon associated with this idea. -
King George III takes power
With the Proclamation of 1763, King George III tried to relax tensions with the Native Americans, but he also angered colonists as well. The Proclamation forbade selling and buying land that was west of the Appalachians, and it gave the Crown a monopoly in any land that was bought or negogiated away from the Native Americans. The Proclamation additionally introduced two new liberal ideas: it recognized the Natives as having some rights, and it awarded soldiers who fought in the war free land. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was passed by the British parliament on March 22nd, 1765. It placed taxes on every single piece of printed paper, such as ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, and even playing cards. The colonists were not as angry with the tax as much as they were with what it represented. They thought that if they did not try to fight this tax, then it would open the door in the future for more outrageous taxes. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was committed on March 5th, 1770. It involved the deaths of five colonists, and the trials that resulted from this tragedy ended fairly quickly and quietly. Not one Bostonian sat on the jury for any of the trials. The colonists were revolting against the heavy tax imposed by the Townshend Acts, which were being enforced by British soldiers who had begun to arrive in Boston during October 1768. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party The Boston Tea Party took place on December 16th, 1773. It was enacted by the Sons of Liberty, which comprised of all American patriots. A total of 342 chests of tea were dumped into the Boston Harbor, and as a result, the British parliament passed the Intolerable Acts which, among other limitations, ended self-government in Massachusetts and closed the Harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
Intolerable Acts The Intolerable Acts were a group of laws passed shortly after the Boston Tea Party occured. They were passed by Parliament in 1774, with the first act, the Boston Port Act, being passed on March 31st of that year. They restricted self-government and other freedoms in the colonies very tightly. For example, the Boston Port Act closed Boston Harbor until all the tea that was ruined was payed for. These acts ultimately led to colonial outrage and the breakout of the American Revolution. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a group of delegates from twelve of the original colonies (All except Georgia) who met as a response to the Intolerable Acts. Some of the major personalities involved were Col. George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Edmund Pendleton, and Peyton Randolph, who sserved as the president.They met at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, PA. There were two establishments at this meeting: (1) a boycott of British goods, and (2) ceasing exports to Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were fought on April 19th, 1775 and were the official beginning of the Revolutionary War. Brigadier General Hugh Percy and General Gage were the generals involved from Britain and the Colonies. The objective of the British was to capture supplies from the Colonists, but the colonists had already heard intel about this and moved the supplies to a new location. When the British arrived, Paul Revere was sent by horseback to warn the militias to be ready. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress came about shortly after the Revolutionary War had begun. It was attended by delegates from all of the thirteen colonies, and it was held in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, PA. Many of the same delegates who were present at the First Continental Congress were also present at this one, such as Peyton Randolph. Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock were two newcomers to the Continental Congress, and the main idea presented was to fight for independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
Too Late to ApologizeThe Declaration of Independence is the most important piece of literature in American history. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress, and it stated that the original thirteen colonies, then fighting against Britain during the Revolutionary War, regarded themselves as free, independent states and that they would no longer answer to the British monarchy. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin are among the few who made freedom possible, and we celebrate it every year. -
The Articles of Confederation
The Articles could be described as a primitive version of the Constitution. It was an agreement between the original thirteen coloinies that declared that the United States was a confederation of sovereign states. The Articles also gave the United States the power to conduct politics in Europe and to deal with the Native American relations. There were many presidents under the Articles, but the first was Samuel Huntington, although this presidency is not equal to the presidency we know today. -
Start of the Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was created primarily to help solve the issues associated with governing the United States. The United States had been operating under the Articles of Confederation after in gained independence from Britain, and one of the focuses of the Convention was to ratify the Articles. However, many people, such as James Madision and Alexander Hamilton, wanted to create a new government rather than continuing to improve upon the existing one. This resulted in the Constitution
