-
1215
Magna Carta
In England, King John tried to take all the power for himself, but the nobles fought back. The nobles created a document called the Magna Carta that limited the power of the king and protected certain rights for the nobles. It introduced concepts of limited government, rule of law, and due process. -
Mayflower Compact
A group of colonists,called pilgrims,left England in a ship called the Mayflower to go to the Virginia colony. However, after storm they ended up in Massachusetts.Named it Plymouth. It was an independent territory, and they needed a government.41 men agreed and signed the Compact.They agreed the government would make "just and equal law for the general good of the colony."This established direct democracy still prevalent in New England today citizens met at town meetings to discuss/vote on issue -
English Bill of Rights
In England, the Parliament had been battling with the king in a series of civil wars. The Parliament eventually won and passed this bill. The bill expanded the rights of the Parliament and people while limiting the powers of the king even more through free elections to Parliament, right to bear arms, petition the government, fair trial, and no excessive bail, fines, or cruel unusual punishment. This Bill introduced trial by jury & protection of personal property for each states Bill of Rights. -
Cato's Letters
In Britain, authors using the fake names Cato the Elder and Cato the Younger published a series of newspaper editorials. They argued against the king's heavy-handed rule. These letters were also published in colonial America. The letters were very influential in the colonies because they discussed many different ideas, especially freedom of expression. -
Mercantilism
Mercantilism was adopted in Britain after King George III. Mercantilism was a policy in which Britain tried to squeeze as much wealth as possible from the British colonies in America and other colonies around the world. Mercantilism is the theory that a country should sell more than it buys. Parliament required the American colonies to sell raw materials such as cotton and lumber at low prices. As a result, colonial businesses suffered greatly. -
French and Indian War
Great Britain fought a long and expensive war against France. Great Britain ultimately won the war and won French territory in North America. After winning the French territory, the British placed steep taxes to pay off heavy war debt and the costs of ruling these new lands. This ultimately led to heavy taxation and British colonists wanting to strike back. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required colonists to attach expensive tax stamps to all newspapers and legal documents. Colonists believed Britain had no right to tax them since colonists had no representation in Parliament and said "No taxation without representation!" This act ultimately led to colonists boycotting British goods. In response, Parliament agreed to repeal the Stamp Act. The same day Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, Parliament passed the Declaratory Act. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act, which was passed in response to the repeal of the Stamp Act, states that Parliament has the right to tax and make decisions for American colonies "in all cases". This ultimately led to the Townshend Acts. -
Townshend Acts
Parliament passed a set of laws known as the Townshend Acts. These laws levied new taxes on goods imported to the colonies: glass, tea, paper and lead. The colonists needed these items, because they could not produce them. These new laws further angered the colonists, and they decided to strike back by boycotting Parliament similarly to how they boycotted the Stamp Act. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred between a 'patriot mob' who were throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks against a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech writers to rouse the ire of citizenry. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. In reaction to this protest, the Parliament passed the Intolerable Act -
Tea Act
Parliament passed the Tea Act which gave the British East India Company the right to ship tea to the colonies without paying the usual taxes placed on tea. This act also allowed the company to bypass colonial merchants and sell directly to shopkeepers at lower prices. The British tried to gain a favorable advantage over colonial merchants by making the company tea cheaper than any other tea in the colonies. Colonists blocked all British East India Tea from American ports. -
Intolerable/Coercive Act
Following the Tea Act, a group of colonists dressed up as Native Americans and dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. In reaction to this protest, the Parliament passed the Intolerable Act which restricted the colonists' rights including the right by trial to a jury. These acts also allowed Britain soldiers to search and even move into colonists' homes. -
First Continental Congress
In Philadelphia, meetings were held for 7 weeks. The delegates sent King George a document demanding that the rights of the colonists were restored.They also planned to extend the boycott on British goods. If their needs were not met by the following year, the delegates vowed to hold another meeting. -
Lexington and Concord
In Massachusetts, King George responded to the First Continental Meeting with force which resulted in the first two battles of the Revolutionary War. With British soldiers shooting at Americans, the people started talking about independence. -
Second Continental Congress
In Philadelphia, the Second Continental Congress was held. Not everyone in congress agreed with independence. Some were attached to their home country, while others thought a war against Britain would be suicide. However, after many months of debating, the support for independence grew. Following this meeting, Thomas Paine's Common Sense pamphlet influenced the movement for independence. -
Common Sense
Thomas Paine, an American colonist, wrote and published a pamphlet that called for complete independence from Britain. Paine argued that it was common sense to stop following King George III. He called the colonists actions a struggle for freedom. Paine's pamphlets ultimately led to the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independence
With the congress now acting as the government, they appointed a committee to write a document that would officially announce the Independence of the United States. However, Thomas Jefferson did almost all of the work. The Declaration of Independence argued that the British government did not align with the ideals and values of the colonists.