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Period: to
1777-1791
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Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation were temporarily used as the first constitution. It was passed on 11-15-1777 -
Articles of Confederation go into effect.
The Articles of Confederation go into effect. It was used until 1788 -
Shays Rebellion
Shays Rebellion was an uprising of citizens in opposition to high taxes. Shays Rebellion became an argument for a stronger, conservative national government and contributed with the movement of the Constitutional Convention. -
Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention is held in Philadelphia to make the Articles of Confederation more workable. It was then decided a new constitution was needed. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance established key policies for unsettled territory. It also established procedure for admitting new states. -
Constitution is signed into law
The constitution is produced in secret. The constitution is based off of examples from ancient civilizations. -
Federalist Papers
The federalist papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, were produced to persuade citizens to support the ratification of the Constitution. -
George Washington is elected as president
George Washington is elected as the first US President. He serves for 2 terms. -
Judiciary Act
The Judiciary Act was the act of Congress. This first created the federal court system. -
The Bill of Rights is Ratified
The Bill of Rights has the first 10 amendments of the constitution. This gave Americans their rights in relation to government.