-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
English nobility had forced King John to sign the Magna Carta in 1215. Also called the Great Charter, it acknowledged certain specific rights of the barons against the king, including some rights to due process, a speedy trial, and trial by a jury of one's peers. To recognize that the sovereign did not have absolute authority, but was subject like all men and women to the rule of law. -
English Bill of Rights
It was accepted by King William and Queen Mary in 1689. It reaffirmed the principle of the Magna Carta. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
John Locke was one of the key enlightenment thinkers in the 1760's and the 1770's. He maintained that people have natural rights to life, liberty, and property. He contended that every society is based on a social contract, an agreement in which the people consent to choose and obey a government so long as it safeguards their natural rights. -
King George III
King George III succeeded his grandfather and became king of Great Britain on October 25, 1760. He chose financial expert George Grenville to serve as prime minister in hopes to lower the national debt. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act, enacted on April 5, 1764, halved the duty on foreign made molasses so colonists would pay lower tax instead of risking arrest for smuggling. It placed duties on certain imports that had not been taxed before. Provided that colonists accused of violating the act would be tried in a vice-admiralty court rather than a colonial court. -
The Stamp Act
Passed in March of 1765, the Stamp Act imposed a tax on documents and printed items such as wills, newspapers, and playing cards. A stamp would be placed on the items to prove that the tax had been paid. -
Colonists Unified to Defy the Stamp Act
Colonists unified to defy the law -
The Stamp Act Gets Boycotted
Merchants in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia agreed to boycott the law in October 1765. -
The Stamp Act Gets Repealed
Parliament decides to repeal the law in March of 1766. -
Samuel Adams
One of the founders of the Sons of Liberty, also one of the leaders to the colonists who boycotted the Townshend Act in 1767. -
Boston Massacre
On March 5th, 1770, a mob gathered in front of the Boston Customs house and taunted the British soldiers. Shots were fired and five colonists were killed or mortally wounded. -
Boston Tea Party
On December 16th, 1773, the "Indians" dumped 18,000 pounds of the East India Company's tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
In 1774, Parliament passed a series of measures that colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One shut down the Boston Harbor, another authorized British commanders to house soldiers in vacant, private homes and other buildings. General Thomas Gage, commander-in-chief of British forces in North America was appointed the new governor of Massachusetts. He places Boston under martial law, rule imposed by military forces. -
Lexington and Concord
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere, William Dawes,and Samuel Prescott rode out to spread word that 700 British troops were headed for Concord. The redcoats reached Lexington, Massachusetts, five miles short of Concord on April 19. They saw 70 minutemen drawn up in lines on the village green. The commander ordered for the minutemen to lay down their arms and leave and the colonists began to leave when someone fired and the soldiers sent shots into the militia killing 8 men. -
Second Continental Congress
Colonial leaders called the second continental congress to debate their next move in May of 1775. The congress agreed to recognize the colonial militia as the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as the commander. -
Battle Of Bunker Hill
Thomas Gage decided to strike at the militia of Breed's Hill. He sent 2,400 British soldiers up the hill on June 17, 1775. The colonists lost 450 men while the British had over 1,000 casualties. It was the deadliest battle of the war. -
Common Sense
The ideas of Thomas Paine written in a widely read 50-page pamphlet. He attacked King George and the monarchy. He argued that the responsibility for British tyranny lay with "the royal brute of Britain." He explained that his own revolt against the king had begun with Lexington and Concord. He declared that independence would allow America to trade more freely. He also stated that independence would give American colonists the chance to create a better society. Sold neearly 500,000 copies. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was chosen to prepare the final draft of the declaration of independence. -
The American Colonies Are Free
Delegates voted unanimously that the American colonies were free on July 2, 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
Richard Henry Lee said that "these united colonies are, and of a right ought to be, free and independent states" of June 7, 1776. The Declaration of Independence declared the rights of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness" to be "unalienable" rights of ones that can never be taken away.
