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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215. This was the basis for the U.S. Constitution. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right is a constitutional document that gives citizens certain liberties. This protects them of what the king is prohibited from infringing. -
The English Bill of Rights
During the English revolution in 1688, King James II fled from England. After he and his wife were announced king and queen, parliament added several clauses to the declaration. -
Albany Plan of Union
In June 1754 delegates from most of the northern colonies and representatives from the Six Iroquois Nations met in Albany, New York where they adopted a "plan of union" drafted by Benjamin Franklin. Under this plan each colonial legislature elected delegates to an American continental assembly presided over by a royal governor. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the tension built up in American that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts. -
The Boston Tea Party
On December 16, 1773, officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain. In response, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from nine of the North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774. The group met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of representatives from all 13 Colonies. They met May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just the American Revolutionary War had begun. -
The Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress July 4, 1776, which stated that the thirteen American Colonies were now independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. This document served as the United States' first constitution, and was inforced from 1781-1789 when the present day Constitution went into effect. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who led the rebels. -
The Philadelphia Convention
The United States Constitutional Convention, also known as The Philadelphia Convention, took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was in effect to address problems within the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation. -
The New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan retained the Congress of the Confederation, with each of the States equally represented. In addition to the powers Congress already had, the plan added closely limited powers to tax and regulate trade between the States. -
The Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan called for a new government with the three separate branches that we have today. It created a new Constitution by thoroughly revising the Articles.
