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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
A group of Barons demanded that King John sign the Magna Carta. This document stated basic fundamental rights and protected against arbitrary acts by the king. -
Period: Jan 1, 1215 to
timeline
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Jamestown settled
King James I granted a charter for entrepreneurs to establish a colony in North America. Disease, famine, and Indian attacks plagued the colony. -
Mayflower Compact
This document was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It helped organize the colony and set out equal and just laws for every colonist. -
Petition of Right
Parliament would not grant Charles I request for an increase in taxes until the King signed the document. This document stated that the king can no longer imprison or punish anyone unless convicted by a lawful judgement of his/her peers. This Petition challenged the divine right of kings. -
English Bill of Rights
This document, which was signed by William and Mary of Orange, was originated to prevent the abuse of power by monarchs. It required that all elections be free and prohibited a standing army during peace time. It also granted some new basic rights such as the right to a fair trial, freedom from excessive bail, and freedom from cruel punishments. -
Albany Plan of Union
Ben Franklin proposed the creation of a congress of delegates from each colony to attend annual meetings. -
Stamp Act
This law required the use of taxes on stamps for all legal documents, newspapers, and business agreements. It angered the colonists as they viewed it as unfair to their welfare. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers fired upon a crowd of rowdy colonists and killed 5 of them. Citizens of Massachusetts had become angry over the imposition of British troops. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men boarded three tea ships in the Boston Harbor. They dumped tea into the harbor to protest Parliaments laws.
Several colonists were angered by the King George III's outrageous taxes on tea to repay war debt. Some men dressed up as Indians and dumped the East India Trading Company's Tea into the Boston harbor as a statement against harsh taxes. -
Intolerable Acts
These acts were placed by Parliament in England as a response to the Boston Tea Party. The acts were very unjust and even closed Boston's ports until the lost tea in the harbor was payed for. -
First Continental Congress
Twelve of the Thirteen colonies sent delegates to the First Continental Congress. Rather than declaring independence, the first congress sought to right the wrongs that the king had inflicted on the colonies. -
American Revolution Begins
The "shot heard round the world" started the revolution when 700 British troops marched into Lexington to find 77 minutemen ready for battle. Tensions were high and an undertermined gun fired the first shot. -
Second Continental Congress
All of the colonies had delegates present. They established a continental army to fight against the British troops outside of Boston. -
Declaration of Independence
This document announced that the Thirteen colonies were now independent states. It was adopted by the Second Continental Congress. The document asserted that the colonies had natural rights, including the right of revolution. -
Articles of Confederation
In this document, the states retained sovergnty over all government decisions. It included the first official statement of a name for the new country, the United States of America. The articles failed to set up a tax base or judiciary system. It did not have the requirements of an effective government. -
Shay's Rebellion
A group of Revolutionary war veterens went on a rebellion under the comand of Daniel Shay. The retired soldiers wanted compensation for their efforts in the revolutionary war. This showed the need for a stronger government in several aspects. -
Connecticut Compromise
The idea of a two-house legislature was agreed on in this compromise. The Senate would have an equal number of representatives from each state. The House of Representatives would have representatives per state based on the size of the state. -
Constitution Convection
The Convention was a meeting to form a better and more efficient country. The framers of the constitution worked on the Constitution and it was ratified by all thirteen colonies by the end of September. -
Philadelphia Convention
This meeting addressed the issues in governing the United States. The original intent of the meeting was to revise the Articles of Confederation, but instead the government was reformed.
