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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta Signed
The Magna Carta was the first ever document forced upon an english king by his subjects. The Magna Carta was created in order to lower the king's powers and protect his subjects rightful privileges. King John ended up signing the Magna Carta, which was very important because it showed that the power of a king could be restraigned throughout a written grant. The Magna Carta is important to the history of America, its infulence can be seen in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. -
Mayflower Compact is Signed
The Mayflower Compact was a written agreement that was composed by the new settlers who came first to Amercia.The Compact was the first set of written laws for America by the english people who traveled to America for a better life. This Compact was written to set up a government from within themselves and be free from Englands laws. -
Albany Plan of Union Announced
After the French and Indian wars, the colonies were put under the many strains, that made them distant and easily angered by one another. English officials created a union in Albany New York that declared each colonial legislature would elect delegates to a continental assembly that would be looked over by a govenour. This would prevent tension and hardships between colonies. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men named as "Son of Lberty", dressed as Mhawk Indians the men boarded in three British ships and dumped forty five tons of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Declaration of Rights and Grievances is Passed
British Parliments passed a series of laws known as Coercive Acts. Americans called them the Intolerable Acts. -
First Continental Congress Meets
In 1774, the colonies held the First Continental Congress. Representatives from each colony, except Georgia, met in Philadelphia to discuss their response to the British Intolerable Acts. -
Start of Revolutionary War
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Second Continental Congress Meets
On May 10, 1775, the members of the Second Continental Congress met at the State House in Philadelphia. There were several new delegates including: John Hancock from Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin from Pennsylvania.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. -
Declaration of Independence is signed
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, with the assistance of John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. The document defined the rights of the people of the independent states. On July 2, 1776, the members of the Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence. The delegates then held a second vote and approved the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, President of the Congress and Charles Thomson, the secretary, signed the document. -
Formation of the New England Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were formally considered the first constitution of the United States. It was drafted by Congress and gave Congress the power to direct the Revolutionary War and to conduct diplomacy with Europe and conduct trade affairs. This confederation type of governement became weak and powerless and was replaced later on with a federal government. -
Articles of Confederation Signed
The Articles of Confederation were ratified by all thirteen states on March 1, 1781. Unfortunatley these Articles proved to be a weak central government, and they left most of the states leading with their own power. -
Revolutionary War comes to an end
The Treaty of Paris in 1783 formally ended the Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent country. Great Britain granted the new nation all of its land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River, and from Canada to Florida. -
Constitutional Convention
Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. The delegates elected George Washington to preside over the convention. The result of the Convention was the United States Constitution, placing the Convention among the most significant events in the history of the United States. -
Final draft of Constitution signed
The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today.
