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Sep 10, 1215
Magna Carta
It is believed that the Manga Carta is the most important documents of all time. It was an English legal document which had a huge influence on the developing legal system of England. -
Period: Sep 10, 1215 to
Early American Government
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Jamestown Settled
A group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They hoped to make a profit off of the resources of the New World offered. -
Mayflower Compact Written
It was a written agreement composed by a consensus of the new Settlers arriving at New Plymouth. It was drawn up with fair and equal laws, for the good of the settlement and with the will of the majority. -
Petition of Rights
It's a statement of civil liberties sent by the English Parliament to Charles I. It was four principles: no taxes may be levied without consent of Parliament; no subject may be imprisoned without cause shown (reaffirmation of the right of habeas corpus); no soldiers may be quartered upon the citizenry; martial law may not be used in time of peace. -
English Bill of Rights
Document written by parliament and agreed on by William and Mary of England. -
Albany Plan of Union
The plan thought of by Benjamin Franklin in 1754 that aimed to unite to 13 colonies for trade, military, and other purposes. -
Stamp Act
An act passed by the British Parliament in 1756 that raised revenue from the American Colonies by a duty in the form of a stamp required on all newspapers and legal or commercial documents; opposition by the Colonies resulted in the repeal of the act in 1766. -
Boston Massacre
The killing of five Boston colonists by British soldiers who were being harassed by a crowd of Boston residents on March 5, 1770. -
Boston Tea Party
Boston citizens, led by patriot Samuel Adams, dressed as Mohawk Indians and got on three British ships docked in the Boston Harbor. They threw tea off the sides of the ships to show their digust at England's attempt to monopolize the tea market, forcing the colonists to buy their tea from the British East India Company. -
Intolerable Act
A series of laws passed by the British in 1774 in an attempt to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party; -
First Continental Congress
Brought together representatives from each of the colonies, except Georgia, to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts." -
American Revolution Begins
The American Revolution begins with fighting at Lexington and Concord. The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party were the main reasons for the Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress decided many important things. At the Congress, they decided to completely break away from Great Britain. They decided to officially put the colonies in a state of defense, to organize the militia of the colonies better, and to also switch to paper money. -
Declaration of Independence
The document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress asserting the independence of the Colonies from Great Britain. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles were written in 1776 and 1777 and adopted by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777 after a year of debate. In practice, the unratified Articles were used by the members of Congress as the system of government until it became final ratification on March 1, 1781. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts (mainly Springfield) from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who led the rebels. -
Philadelphia Convention
A meeting held in 1787 by delegates from the 13 states that then comprised the United States. It was the formation of a new plan of government, which was outlined in the newly-drafted U.S. Constitution. -
Constitutional Convention
The convention of United States statesmen who drafted the United States Constitution in 1787 -
Connecticut Compromise
It was submitted to the Constitutional Convention to break the block created by the New Jersey Plan and The Virginia Plan. The convention decided that the legislature will be bicameral, meaning there would be two houses, one house will have equal representation, while the other is based on population of the state.
