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Petition Of Right
Parliamentary declaration of the rights and liberties of the people, assented to by Charles I. It expresses many of the ideals that later led to the American Revolution. -
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document signed by John of England after being issued by his barons after a meeting. It is one of the most celebrated documents in England history. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England.
This Act Declared the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin. Although never carried out, it was the first important plan to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of Massachusetts Patriots protesting the monopoly on American tea importation. They seized 324 chests of tea in a midnight raid and dumped the tea into the Boston harbor. -
First Continental Congress
When representitive from all colonies, excluding Geogia, gathered in Philidelphia to discuss seeking independence from Britain. Congress agreed to continue to meet until the Brisitsh changed policies. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress decided many important things. At the Congress, they decided to completely break away from Great Britain, Another thing they decided they had to do was to organize the militia of the colonies better. -
Declaration Of Independence
A statement which announced that the thirteen colinies(declared the United States of America) declared themselves as independent states and no longer a part of the Bristish Empire. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation created a weak central government for the colonies. It left most of the power to individual states' governments. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion was an armed uprising that took place in central and western Massachusetts. It was precipitated by several factors: financial difficulties brought about by a post-war economic depression, a credit squeeze caused by a lack of hard Currency, and fiscally harsh government policies. -
Philadelphia Convention
A convention called to revise the Articles of Confederation into a more powerful document. 55 delegates from 12 states were present. -
Virgina Plan
The Virgina Plan was a proposal by Virgina delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan traced the broad outlines of what would become the U.S. Constitution. -
The New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan was designed to protect the security and power of the small states by limiting each state to one vote in Congress, as under the Articles of Confederation.The plan was created in response to the Virgina Plan where the houses of Congress originated.
