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USA Timeline

  • Jun 15, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    The Magna Carta was granted by King John in England. It was a charter of liberties, and was the basis for the creation of the English legal system.
  • Virginia House of Burgesses

    Virginia House of Burgesses
    This house represented the people of the colonies, and tried to make life better for them, including trying to attract more English tradesmen to the colonies for more diverse wares.
  • Mayflower Compact

    Mayflower Compact
    This document, signed abord the Mayflower, was the first to govern the new Plymouth Colony.
  • English Bill of Rights

    English Bill of Rights
    This Bill clearly defined the limits of the monarchy and how they would interact with the Parliament, and also many other freedoms for the people of England.
  • French and Indian War

    French and Indian War
    (See timespan for details)
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    French and Indian War

    This war was fought between the the colonists who were allied with Great Britain, and the French who were allied with the Indians. Each side was fighting for more territory in the rich area of North America. The colonists with Great Britain won this war, and the French were essentially pushed out of North America.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    The Stamp Act was a tax imposed by the British Government on the American colonists. It taxed every piece of paper they used, and was the beginning of "No Taxation Without Representation."
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    On this day, the Sons of Liberty dumped all the tea shipped in from England off a ship located in Boston Harbor. They did this in protest of the British and taxation without representation. This brought about the Intolerable Acts.
  • First Continental Congress

    First Continental Congress
    Twelve of the states sent delegates to this in response to the Intolerable Acts, and they said that if their appeals did not halt the British, they would reconvene a second time for more aggressive action.
  • Lexington and Concord

    Lexington and Concord
    This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War, and is known as the "Shot Heard Round The World." The first time the "Redcoats" directly fought with American Militia.
  • Second Continental Congress

    Second Continental Congress
    This congress worked on our independence from Great Britain, helping the colonists with the war, and eventually declaring Independence officially on the fourth of July.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence
    This is the day on which we declared independence from Great Britain, and the Revolutionary War officially started.
  • Articles of Confederation

    Articles of Confederation
    These articles were drafted as the basic constitution of the United States, they were then agreed upon by all thirteen colonies. (Helped with the Revolutionary War and International problems)
  • Rhode Island Ratifies

    Rhode Island Ratifies
    On this date, Rhode Island ratified the Articles of Confederation, thus truly starting to shape the American Government,
  • Peace Treaty With Great Britain

    Peace Treaty With Great Britain
    (Treaty of Paris) This treaty ended the American Revolutionary War, between the USA and its allies, and Great Britain.
  • Shay's Rebellion

    Shay's Rebellion
    An uprising led by Daniel Shay in Massachusets, because of financial hardship due to the new government.
  • Constitutional Convention

    Constitutional Convention
    (The Philadelphia Convention) This is the convention, where instead of revising the Articles of Confederation, the US Constitution was created.
  • Virginia Plan

    Virginia Plan
    This plan of action for the United States Government said representation would be in proportion to population, giving more power to larger states with more people.
  • Connecticut Compromise

    Connecticut Compromise
    A compromise by all the small and large states for bicameral legislature. One house would have equal representation for each state (The Senate) another house would have representation according to population (House of Representatives).
  • Constitutional Compromise

    Constitutional Compromise
    1. Connecticut Compromise
    2. 3/5 Compromise
    3. Trade Compromise
  • New Jersey Plan

    New Jersey Plan
    This plan was an idea for the structure of the United States Government, in response to the Virginia Plan. Since the Virgina Plamn gave more power to the more populous states, this plan kept all power even between states.
  • Commerce/Slave Trade Compromise

    Commerce/Slave Trade Compromise
    This compromise said that the US Government couldn't decide whether or not to outlaw slavery for another twenty years, and forbid them from taxing the exports from any state.
  • 3/5 Compromise

    3/5 Compromise
    This compromise counted slaves as 3/5 of a person when taxing or counting representatives for congress.
  • The Bill of Rights

    The Bill of Rights
    The Bill of Rights were amendments made to the Constitution to protect basic human rights. The Bil of Rights were the first ten amendments.