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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Link to Copy of the Magna CartaThe Magna Carta was a document signed by King John of England in England that limited the rights of the king. Under the Magna Carta, the king could no longer take subjects' property, could not tax the subjects without permission from Parliament, could not put people on trial without witnesses, and subjects could only be punished by a jury. -
Mayflower Compact
This document served the purpose of allowing the colonies to form their own government without the interference of England. It served as the first written framework to what our government is today. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights sets out specific liberties to the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. It contains restrictions on non- parliamental taxation, forced billeting of solders, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law. The purpose of this law was to protection of civil liberties. King Charles the first signed this law. -
English Bill of Rights
Copy of the English Bill of RightsThe English Bill of Rights was signed by William and Mary of England. It restricted the monarch from overriding, changing, enacting, or suspending laws and from raising an army without approval from Parliament. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was an attempt to unite the thirteen colonies that was proposed by Benjamin Franklin. It never happened though, because every colony had its own agenda. The popular political cartoon "Join or Die" is based on this event. -
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French and Indian War
Also known as the Seven Years War, the French and Indian War was fought between Britian, France, and the Native Americans, with Spain later becoming an ally of France, over possession of land in North America. Major battles were fought including the Battle of Quebec and the Battle of Quiberon Bay. In the end, the British won, but this ended up creating tension between Britain and the colonies, as the colonists were not allowed to settle on the new land and taxes were increased. -
King George III takes power
King George III took power at the age of 22 after the death of his grandfather. After the French and Indian War, King George III decided to have a standing army in America, which changed the relationship between Britain and the colonies, because it angered the colonies, because they had been functioning without British intervention for years. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre happened as a result of the revolt by colonists against the enforcement of the Townshed Acts. It involved British soldiers letting off a volley of shots into a crowd that was heckling and harassing the soldiers. It resulted in the deaths of five colonists. -
Boston Tea Party
Liberty Kids Video on Boston Tea PartyThe Boston Tea Party was organized by the Patriot groups in retaliation of the Tea Acts. It involved Samuel Adams and members of the Patriot groups disguising themselves as Mohawk Indians and dumping the tea from ships in the Boston harbor into the water. In an attempt to punish the colonies and Boston, in particular, Britain passed the Coercive Acts in 1774. -
Intolerable acts
The Intolerable Acts was the Patriots name for a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament. These acts were passed because of the Boston Tea Party. The acts included all ports in Boston to be closed till the tea was repayed, British baned colonists to have town meetings, British allowed themseves to house troops whenever and wherever in colonist homes, and any officials accuded of crimes can stand in trial in Britan not Boston. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was held in Carpenter's Hall, Philedelphia, in retaliation of the Coercive Act. Delegates from the colonies, including George Washington, John Adams, John Jay, and Patrick Henry, elected Peyton Randolph to be the president of the Congress. As a result of this meeting, militias were established which led to the start of the American Revolution. -
Lexington and Concord
The battle of Lexington and Concord was the first military engagement of the American Revolutionary War. This battle marks the outbreak of open armed conflict between Britan and the 13 colonies. Independance and self-government caused the battle between America and Britan. John Parker and James Barrett were American generals and Francis Smith was the Bitish general. Paul Revere is know for saying that the British are coming in this battle. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from 13 colonies that had meetings in Philadelphia, PA. They managed the colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independance. The Declaration of Independance was one of the ideas that came about at this meeting. Some of the leaders involved were Peyton Randolph, Charles Thomas, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Middleton. -
Stamp Acts
The stamp acts put a direct tax on items in the 13 colonies by the British Parliament. Items were printed on special material made in London that embossed revenue stamp. These items included legal documents, magazines, newspapers, and many other types of paper used throughout America. Many colonist considered it a violation of their rights to be taxed without their consent and they sent petitions and protests. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is a formal statement of the colonies' intentions and was written as Americas's freedom from Great Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation is an agreement between the 13 original coloines and it established the United States as a confederation of sovereign states. John Hanson was the first president under this article. -
Start of the Constitutional Covention
The Costitutional Covention talked about the problems in governing the United States which had been under the Artical of Confederation before and the covention ended up with a resutl of the creation of the Constitution.
