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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
History on the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was signed by King John the King of England who was threaten to sign it or let his country break into civil war. The Magna Carta has 63 clauses that concern various property rights of barons and other powerful citizens, suggesting the limited intentions of the framers. The Magna Carta served as a model for the American Constitution for it was the first constituion written. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 English Colonists on the ship of the Mayflower on November 11th, 1620. It was the first written framework of goverment in the US. It was made to prevent dissent over Puritans and Non-Separatist Pilgrims in Plymouth. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights reinstated some of the rights for Englishmen. The rights granted to them under this petition were that no taxes should be imposed without the consent of Parliament; no freeman should be imprisoned except by the laws of England; no soldiers should be able to stay in citizens' homes without payment; and martial law should not to be proclaimed during peacetime. King Charles I signed this document but disregarded it until Civil War broke out and he was dethroned. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was signed by King William and Queen Mary who took the crown after the glorious revolution. This bill limited royal power and gave parliament power over finances, the army, and the right to choose the next line of royality if needed. The Bill of Rights gave the people inviolable civil and political rights. It gave the people the right to a trial and banned excessive
bail ,fines, and cruel or unusual punishments. -
Albany Plan of Union
It was the first plan to conceive the colonies as a whole under one goverment. Benjamin Franklin had proposed the idea to his friends and colleagues. The plan never worked out though. Franklin had created a popular political cartton that depicted a snake and the words 'Join or Die'. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War lasted from 1756 to 1763. The major players in this conflict were England and France. Some of the major battles were 'The Battle of Louisbourg' and 'The Plains of Abraham'. In the end the British won. Our relationship with Britain had become bad, they needed money and thus so we were taxed. -
King George III Takes Power
King George III came to power on September 22, 1761. George was the third Hanoverian monarch. He was the first one born in England and the first to use English as his first language. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act placed taxes upon any skin, piece of vellum, or parchment. The Virginia goverment adopted four of Patrick Henry's Stamp Act Resolves. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a killing by British regulars. Five colonists were killed in the act. The act was enforcing the Townshend Acts. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of Massachusetts Patriots organized the event. They were portesting the monopoly of American Tea Importation. Parliment then placed the Coercive Acts of 1774 upon the colony of Massachusetts. -
Intolerable Acts
The British passed the Intolerable Acts as a punishment of the Boston Tea Party. The only provisions that were shipped into to port were food and firewood. -
First Continental Congress
Some of the major personalities there were George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, and Peyton Randolph. The result of the meeting was 'The Association', it was patterened after the Virginia Association. The meeting had taken place in Carpenter's Hall in Philidelphia. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the spark that started the American Revoulutionary War. These battles were the start of the revoultion that lead to the colonies' independence. British forces moved into Boston to seize an army cache. Paul Revere and other riders were able to warn the colonial militiamen before the British came into the town. The major generals involved in this conflict were General Thomas Gage from the British side and General William Heath from the American side. -
Second Continental Congress
The second Continental Congress took place in Philladelphia, Pennsylvania. The ideas that came from this meeting included creating the Continental Army and appointing George Washington as the commanding General. They made the Olive Branch Petition, Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, Model Treaty, and the Articles of Confederation. The colonial leaders that came were John Adams, Samuel Adams, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, and others. -
Declaration of Independence
Declaration of IndependenceThe Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson which announced that the 13 colonies now saw themselves as 13 independent states instead of being seen as part of the British Empire. The video is a short video of the Declaration of Independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement between the 13 colonies that established the United States of America as a union of sovereign states and served as its first constitution. These Articles made it possible for Continental Congress to direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct negotiations with Europe and deal with territory issues, and helped form Native American relations. The first president under these articles was Samuel Johnston. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the American Revolution between Great Britain and the United States and each other's allies. John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and John Jay represented the United States in signing the treaty. The new boundaries of the United States under the treaty were lands east of the Mississippi River and east of the Great Lakes. The British finally recognized the Declaration of Independence. This image shows the signing of the Treaty of Paris. -
Start of Constitutional Convention
In the Annapolis Convention five states called for a Constitutional Convention to discuss and improve the Articles of Confederation. But the Convention did not happen until May 14, 1787, in Philadelphia, where the intention was to fix the government in the United States but they instead decided to form a new government and write the Constitution.
