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Mar 3, 1215
Magna Carta
a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215.[a] First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the unpopular King and a group of rebel barons, it promised the protection of church rights, etc. -
Founding of Jamestown
It sparked a series of cultural encounters that helped shape the nation and the world. The government, language, customs, beliefs and aspirations of these early Virginians are all part of the United States’ heritage today. -
House of Burgesses
It was the first legislative assembly of elected representatives in North America. It an effort to encourage English craftsmen to settle in North America and to make conditions in the colony more agreeable for its current inhabitants. -
Fouding of Plymouth
It was an English colonial venture in North America. People would go here to colonize. -
Mayflower Compact
It was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. -
French and Indian War
fought between the colonies of British America and New France, with both sides supported by military units from their parent countries of Great Britain and France, as well as Native American allies. -
Albany Plan of Union
It was a proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin. -
British Parliament
The British Parliament enacted the Quartering Act, requiring the Thirteen Colonies to provide housing, food, and other provisions to British troops. -
Sons of Liberty
It was an organization of patriots that was created in the Thirteen American Colonies. It was formed to protect the rights of the colonists and to fight the abuses of taxation by the British government. -
Stamp Act Congress
it was the first gathering of elected representatives from several of the American colonies to devise a unified protest against new British taxation. Parliament had passed the Stamp Act, -
Boston Massacre
Soldiers killed five male civilians and injured six others. The incident was heavily propagandized by leading patriots, such as Paul Revere and Sam Adams to fuel animosity toward the British authorities. -
Boston Tea Party
Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. -
First Continental Congress
It was called in response to "The passage of the Coercive Acts". The Intolerable Acts had punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting in the summer. -
Declaration of Independence
This document declared the independence of America from other countries. -
Articles of Confederation
It was a document signed amongst the thirteen original colonies that established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution. -
Siege of Charleston
Siege of Charleston: American General Benjamin Lincoln surrendered Charleston to the British. The British lost two hundred and fifty-five men while capturing a large American garrison. -
Constitutional Convention
It was to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. -
Federalists Papers
The Federalist is a collection of 85 articles and essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay promoting the ratification of the United States Constitution. -
Delaware Ratifies Constitution
It was a majority of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention approved the documents over which they had labored. -
New Hampshire Ratifies Constitution
It included several suggested changes to the Constitution, including one which would said "Congress shall never disarm any citizen, unless such as are or have been in actual rebellion." -
Rhode Island Ratifies Const.
Rhode Island's ratification message is lengthy, with a list similar to that of New York's, listing a bill of rights and listing several proposed amendments. -
Bill of Rights Ratified
approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. -
Nobel Peace Prize
President Theodore Roosevelt was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese war; becoming the first statesman to win a Nobel Prize. -
Presidential election
U.S. presidential election, 1812: Madison was reelected President; Elbridge Gerry was elected United States Vice President.
