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Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxations by the British to the detriment of colonial goods. -
Common Sense pamphlet by Thomas Paine
In 1775-76 advocating independence form Great Britain to people in the Thirteen Colonies. Paine marshaled moral and political arguments to encourage common people in the Colonies to fight for egalitarian government. He outlines his thoughts on a new constitution for America. -
Virginia Declaration of Rights
The Virginia Declaration of Rights is a document drafted in 1776 to proclaim the inherent rights of men, including the right to reform or abolish "inadequate" government. It influenced a number of later documents, including the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Bill of Rights. This was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention. -
Declaration of Independence
All men are created equal and there are certain unalienable rights that governments should never violate. These rights include the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When a government fails to protect those rights, it is not only the right, but also the duty of the people to overthrow that government. This broke all political ties between the American colonies and Great Britain, the Constitution outlined how this government would function. -
Articles of Confederation
The federal government, under the Articles, was too weak to enforce their laws and therefore had no power. The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fights the Revolutionary War and could not repay their debts. An agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. -
Shays Rebellion
Was an armed uprising in Massachusetts, mostly in and around Springfield during 1786 and 1787. American Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays led four thousand rebels in a protest against perceived economic and civil rights injustices. This led to further calls for a stronger national government and influenced the ensuing debate in Philadelphia that led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in the summer of 1787.
