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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was signed by King John of England in a meadow at Runnymede, South England. The Magna Carta guarenteed the right for a trial by jury, also it said the law was above the king limiting the monarchs power. -
Mayflower Compact
Mayflower CompactThe Mayflower Compact was a document that was supposed to help create a structured goverment in the colonies. This document became the first written frame work of goverment established in what is now the United States. -
Petition of Rights
This is an English document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from not obeying the terms. The Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law. This had to be signed by Charles I. -
English Bill of Rights
Video Link of the English Bill of RightsThe English Bill of Rights was a bill presented by Englishmen to the monarchs of Britian, King William III and Queen Mary. This bill of rights gave the Englishmen certian inaleible civil and political rights. The English Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments of the constitution. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was suggested by Benjamin Franklin to unite the colonies. The plan did not succeed because the colonial representatives and British representatives rejected the plan. Benjamin Franklin created a cartoon called the "Join or Die" cartoon, which was a snake cut up and labeled with the colonies. This cartoon was to help Franklin prove his point about the importance of colonies unity. -
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French and Indian War
The French adn Indian war, also known as the seven years war, was a conflict between the British colonies and the French over control of the Ohio River Valley. The major battles during this war was The Battle at Fort Necessity where the French George Washingtons army. Ultimately the British won the war. Although they won the war the British heavily taxed the american colonies bringing up the idea "No Taxation Without Representation". -
King George III takes power
King George III accended to the thrown on October 25. To complement his greediness for power he forced colonists into paying taxes. The people living in Britian were alread paying heavy taxes because of the French and Indian war so King George III decided the colonists should pay for part of the war and pay for British soldier protection. This cause a war that the King blamed on the colonists but it was really his own greed and need for power that caused it. -
Stamp Act
Great Britain said that the Colonies had to get all of there paper products, like legal documents, magazines, and newspapers, from Great Britain. The colonists felt that this was a violation of there rights as Englishmen to be taxed without there consent as they were not present for the vote. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was not really a massacre, only five colonists died. The Townshed Acts caused this tradgedy to happen. The law was passed to tax goods such as glass, paper, paint, lead and tea. The colonists did not want to pay the taxes on these everyday goods which caused the conflict. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea party was a protest by englishmen who dressed up as native americans, to lower the tax on tea. The political group the set up the protest was the Sons of Liberty. Their primary supporters were John Hancock and Samuel Adams. The British responded to these events by passing the Intolerable acts as punishment for the protest. The intolerable acts closed the ports around Boston until they paid back for the tea dumped into the harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
George III wanted to punish the colonists of Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The colonists had to pay for the tea, they weren't aloud to have town meetings, the Brittish soldiers could house themselves wherever and whenever they wanted, and British officials could stand trial in Britain and not the colonies. -
First Continental Congress
First Continental CongressAt the first continental congress Patrick Henry, George Washington, John Adams and John Jay, helped to combined the colonies by boycotting British goods. The first continental congress was held in Carpenters Hall in Philidelphia. They also helped set up a second continental congress to meet May 10, 1775. -
Lexington and Concord
This battle marked the beggining of the shooting war between the colonies and Britain. Colonel Smith, Major Pitcairne, and Lord Percy commanded the brittish soldiers. Paul Revere and William Dawes were the important officials on the colonists side. Paul Revere warned the colonists of the oncoming brittish attack. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress made its beggining in Philidelphia in the summer of 1775. There purpose was to raise armies, develop stradegies and basically be the brains behind the colonial battle frontier. A few key names in this were John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was pretty much how it sounds, a declaration Americas independence from Britain. Thats not all it said though, it added unalienable rights that are granted to the citizens of America. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation said that all states had sovereignity over themselves and had all rights to govern, other than rights granted to Congress. All states hadto have good relationships and protect each other. The articles were then replaced by the constitution in 1789. John Hanson was the first President under the articles of confederation. -
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Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention was brought upon to adress problems with governing America after gaining independence from Great Britain. The meetings were made to create a new government rather then revise the old one.
