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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
On June 15, 1215, a charter was issued by King John of England in response to a group of rebels led by the Archbishop of Cantebury. It promised certain rights such as church rights, and reduction of payments to the crown. The Magna Carta provided a lot of inspiration to the Constitution including certain Amendments in the Bill of Rights. And like the Magna Carta was referred to, the Constitution is referred to as the Supreme Law of the Land. -
John Locke: Two Treatises of Government
In December of 1689, John Locke published his "Two Treatises of Government" in England. This was a work of political philosophy and outlined ideas for a more civilzed society based on natural rights and contract theory. This piece in particular had a huge influence on how the Founding Fathers thought the American government should be designed. It also played a huge part in how Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. -
English Bill of Rights
On December 16, 1689 the English Bill of Rights was passed by the British Parliament in England. It limited powers of the crown and established freedom of speech in parliament as well as authorizing elections. This document influenced the American bill of rights in the Constitution. It greatly inspired the American bill of rights and why the anti-federalists were so adamant about putting it in the Constitution. -
John Adams
John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in Massachusetts. He would become the Second president of the United States and also played a big role in the Revolution. He's important to the foundation of the American Government because he played a huge role in the Continental Congresses by adamantly arguing for Independence from the crown. He argued for many important things related to government especially rights of man. -
Stamp Act
In 1765 the British Parliament put forth the Stamp Act throughout it's colonies. It required that all printed material be produced on special paper made in London that contained a stamp on it. This Act really riled up the people and had many calling it a violation of their rights. A Stamp Act Congress was formed and the early stirrings of independence and a separate government began. -
Declaration of Independence
On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was passed by those in the Second Continental Congress in America. It was a document that called for the colonies' independence from the crown. Before the passing of this document, many of the colonists' intentions were to negotiate a peace with the crown where they were to stay as loyal subjects. This document established the foundation for the beginning of a separate American government as well as established certain human rights. -
Articles of Confederation
On March 1, 1781, the Articles of Confederation were ratified by the 13 colonies in America. The Articles of Confederation established the United States of America as a confederation of soverign states and acted as the constitution. There were many problems with it, and it's short comings would establish a road for the Constitution to be written as a better form of government. -
The Federalist Papers
On October 27, 1787 the first of many Federalist Papers were published by Alexander Hamilton in New York. Many more articles were published throughout the year and the following year by Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison arguing in favor of the newly created Constitution. The Federalists were big on a federal government and the Anti-federalists weren't. These papers argued why a strong central government was important. Many aspects from these papers appear in the Constitution.
