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The Rubric said I needed title slide
Written By Angel
Timeline of events leading up to and including the Declaration of independence( June 12, 1215-July 4, 1776) -
Jun 12, 1215
Magna Carta
The Nobles had enough of the unfair treatment from King John; They forced him to sign the Magna Carta acknowledging the rights of the nobles. Like cruel and unfair punishment(this is why fair trials are a thing. This was the first step in universal rights. -
Mayflower Compact
An agreement of laws. It was signed by all the men of the Mayflower. They needed a form of governing themselves in a new land, separated geographically from other colonies. Just like America is to England. -
English Bill Of Rights
Made by the English Parliament, Expanding the rights of Parliament and the people, and further limiting the power of the Monarch ( King at the time) -
Cato's Letters
Written by Cato the Elder and Cato the Younger they were a series of newspaper articles arguing against the heavy-handed rule of the king. It also discussed ideas like freedom of expression. They were so popular in the colonies that they were collected in a book; they were in almost every colonial library. -
Mercantalism
After King George III came to power he wanted to squeeze every last cent out of the colonies. Selling British goods at high prices; buying American goods at low prices. Maximizing profit -
French & Indian War
A costly war in the Americas fought by the British against the French and Indians in America for territory. After a long and costly war the British won, signing the treaty in Paris in 1763 -
Stamp Act
Passed by the British Parliament. It required that the colonists pay a tax on every printed paper. From newspapers to letters to legal documents everything was taxed -
Townshed Act
This act imposed taxes on every imported material to the colonies, from copper to lead; from glass to tea. Basic items/ resources that the colonies couldn't produce and were need were all taxed. -
Boston Massacre
A group of marching British soldiers encountered a mob on Kings street. After being harassed by the colonist they open fire, killing multiple people. This really angered the colonist as their oppressors just came in and killed their kind. -
Tea Act
Parliament gave the British East India company the ability to ship anywhere in the colonies completely tax-free. Putting the British vendors in a perpetual advantage. (their goods always costing less) -
Boston Tea Party
In Boston, a group of colonist dressed up as Indians boarded a British trading ship and dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. They did this in protest of the British recent actions. In retaliation, the British passed the Intolerable/coercive acts. -
Intolerable/Coercive Acts
In retaliation for the Boston Tea Party, Parliament passed a series of laws that stripped the rights of the colonists as punishment for their defiance. Like the Quartering act that allowed British soldiers to come into the houses of the colonists. -
First Continental Congress
Meeting of the 12 delegates of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia and discussed how they should approach their British problem. They sent a document to King George III arguing that the rights of the colonists should be reinstated and respected, along with the fact that they were going to continue their boycott until their demands were met. Agreeing to meet in a year if their demands weren't met. -
Lexington & Concord
Deciding to respond to the First Continental Congress with force King George III decided to send an armed force to Boston. They marched from Boston to Lexington and Concord. There they fought battles with colonists. These were the first battles of the Revolutionary war. After which more and more colonists began thinking about independence after all your own country wouldn't shoot at you. -
Second Continental Congress
Colonial leaders once again met in Philadelphia. Not all of them supported independence as they thought there was no way they could bet the most powerful army in the world. They spent many months debating what the best course of action was.
By 1776 over half of the delegates agreed they should separate from Britain. -
Declaratory Acts
Passed by Parliament in 1776, It gave the power to decide tax on of the colonies ¨in all case. This didn't bide well with the colonists. -
Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine it was Phamplet that explained the arguments for independence in common and simple terms so that anyone could read it and understand it. -
Deceleration of Independence
With Congress now acted as the government they appointed a committee to write a document that would officially announce the Independence of the United States. Written largely by Benjamin Franklin, his draft of the Deceleration of Independence explained why the US should be an independent nation. Touting the abuses of King George III and his "Tyrannical" acts.
It incorporated many ideas of contemporary philosophers like Locke and Montesquieu. Such as equality and a proper social contract.
