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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
Ew.
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Jan 30, 1215
Magna Carta
Also known as the "Great Charter" was signed by King John becuase he was forced too because he had a nasty attitude and had too high taxes. It inlcuded things like right to trial by jury and due process and limited thaat monarch's power. -
Petition of Right
King Charles I had to sign this to get taxes raised. It limited the king's power in a multitude of ways, but especially that the king could no longer imprison people without lawful judgement of peers by the law of the land. Also no martial law or military rule could be imposed in times of peace. -
English Bill of Rights
In 1689 England got tired of their rullers harshing their vibe so WIlliam and Mary were forced to sign. It prohibited a standing army in times of peace, required that all parliamentary elections be free, right to a fair trial, freedom from excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment. -
Albany Plan of Union
Proposed by Benjamin Franklin but initially turned down, brought about during a meeting to discuss problems of trade. The ALbany plan suggested there be an annual congress of delegates be created and that they would have the power to raise military and naval forces, make war and peace, and regulate trade taxes and collect duties. -
Boston Massacre
Five people died at this "tragic," event we are still hearing about today. These people were at a protest and troops fired into a rowdy crowd-y and these five people died. They were protesting the high taxes on British goods. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party initially referred to by John Adams as "the Destruction of the Tea in Boston," happened because people got angry about high priced tea, or the taxes on them to be exact. Colonists got angry and threw all of the British tea into Boston harbor in a way to "peacefully," protest. -
First Continental Congress
The cololnists had made a rucous out of things so Parliament passed a set of laws. Many well known men gathered like Sam Adams and Patrick Henry to protest these laws, and sent a Declaration of Rights to King George III -
Second Continental Congress
Met once the revolution had begun, and the British government continued to refuse compromise. Thirteen of the original colonies had delegates there and had become known as our nation's first government. -
Declaration of Independence
The revolution had begun and RIchard Henry Lee proposed to congress that they petition Britain for freedom. Congress then made a committee to draft such a document to prepare a proclamation of independence which was called the Declaration of Independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The states decided that they should probably band together as a confederation. The states were still sovereign but came together for common defense, security, and general welfare. -
New Jersey Plan
An alternative to the Virginia Plan, brought about by Bill Patterson at the Constitutional Convention. It called for a unicameral legislature in which each state would be equally represented. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays’ Rebellion is the name given to a series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. The rebellion took its name from its symbolic leader, Daniel Shays of Massachusetts, a former captain in the Continental army. -
Virginia Plan
Presented by delegates of Virginia, which called for a three-branch with a bicameral legislature. Each state's membership in legislature would be determined by population and/or financial support of our central government. -
Philadelphia Convention
By 1786, Americans recognized that the Articles of Confederation, the foundation document for the new United States adopted in 1777, had to be substantially modified. So delegates from the various states met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia. Among the first orders of business was electing George Washington president of the Convention and establishing the rules--including complete secrecy concerning its deliberations--that would guide the proceedings.
