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1500 BCE
1.Moses
In the Old Testament, Moses divinely received the Ten Commandments. -
600 BCE
2.Old Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure. -
100 BCE
3.New Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure. -
1215
4.The Magna Carta
In 1215, English nobles were upset with the oppressive policies of King John. -
5. The Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims governed themselves by a written contract between themselves. -
6. The Constitution of Connecticut
The Constitution of Connecticut was the first constitution written in America and had a huge influence on the Founders of America. -
7. English Bill of Rights
Even after the signing of the Magna Carta, power struggles between the monarch and Parliament (England’s law making body) persisted for more than 400 years. -
8. House of Lords
The members of the upper chamber were the first sons of noble families and later members who inherited their positions. -
9. House of Commons
The members of the lower chamber were elected and were often the younger sons of noble families or wealthy commoners. -
10. The Enlightenment
A group of philosophers including John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire, sought to apply the rights of scientific inquiry to study human society. -
11. English Common Law
Common law and its commentaries is based on custom, usages, and general principles found in court decisions that serve as precedents to be applied to situations not covered by statutory law. -
12. The Thirteen English Colonies
These colonial institutions exercised some local authority, but the British believed that all colonists owed allegiance to the monarch. -
13. The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France, each side supported by military units from the parent country and by American Indian allies. -
14. The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America and required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. -
15. The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. -
16. The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States -
17. The Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies in America which united in the American Revolutionary War. -
18. The Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is the pronouncement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 4, 1776 -
19. The Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. It was approved, after much debate, by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. -
20. The Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government.
