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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
It was created to revolt against King John and it established that no one is above the law. Even Kings. -
Jan 1, 1295
Parliament Begins
KIngs who followed John met regulary with nobles and church officials to get their advice. They grew and eventualy included representatives of the common people. It eventualy developed into a legislature known as Parliament. -
House of Burgesses
Jamestown was first managed bya governorand council appointed by the Virginia Company. In 1619, the colonists formed the House of Burgesses, the first representative assembly in the English colonies. The house of Bugesses had little power but it marked the beginning of self-government in colonial America. -
Mayflower Compact
The Plymouth colonists realized they needed rules to govern themselves if they were to survive in a new land. They created a written plan for government. 41 of the men aboard signed the Mayflower Compact. -
Glorious Revolution
Serious power struggles began in the mid-1600's. In 1688, Parliament removed King James II from the throne and invited his daughter Mary and her husband William to rule instead. in doing so, Parliament demonstrated that it was now stronger than the monarch. -
English Bill of Rights
Parliament created the english Bill of rights in 1689. This document further restricted the monarch's power. it also guaranteed free elections to parliament, the right to a fair trial, and the elimination of cruel and unusual punishments. -
Common Law
a system of law based on precedent and customs -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used -
Intolerable Acts
Acts that were used as punishment against the colonists in result to the boston tea party. -
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First Continental Congress
The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5, to October 26, 1774. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates. These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures. The colonies presented there were united in a determination to show a combined authority to Great Britain -
second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories. The New England militia were still encamped outside of Boston trying to drive the British out of Boston. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Articles of Confeteration
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution. -
Shays' Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion, the post-Revolutionary clash between New England farmers and merchants that tested the precarious institutions of the new republic, threatened to plunge the "disunited states" into a civil war. The rebellion arose in Massachusetts in 1786, spread to other states, and culminated in the rebels' march upon a federal arsenal -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention held in 1787 approved the Constitution of the United States of America. -
Great Compromise
The Great Compromise combined two plans creating our current legislature with two houses, one based on population and elected by the people and the other house allowing two senators per state being appointed by state legislatures. -
Federalist Papers
The purpose of The Federalist Papers was to gain popular support for the proposed Constitution -
Constitution ratified by 2/3 of the states
in order for something to be approved, 2/3 of congres must say yes -
Bill of Rights
the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public.