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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta was signed
On June 15, 1215, in Runnymede, King John signed the Magna Carta. Confronted by 40 rebellling barons, he agreed to their demands in order to avoid a civil war. -
Petition of Right was signed
The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. -
English Bill of Rights was signed
The English Bill of Rights is an English precursor of the Constitution, along with the Magna Carta and the Petition of Right. The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the English sovereign, and was written as an act of Parliament. -
Albany Plan of Union was created
The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin. It was created at the Albany Congress in July 1754 in Albany, New York. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. Caused by tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. -
The Boston Tea Party
On the night of December 16, 1773, Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard in retaliation to the harsh taxes imposed by King George III. -
The Declaration of Independence was signed
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. -
First Continental Congress meets
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies that met from September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. -
Second Continental Congress is created
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting in the summer of 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. -
Articles of Confederation were written
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, all thirteen states did not accept it until March 1, 1781. -
Shay's Rebellion started
Farmers from western Massachusetts followed petitions for economic relief with insurgency in the fall of 1786. A group of protestors, led by Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays, began a 6 month rebellion by taking over the Court of Common Pleas in Northampton -
The Philadelphia Convention met
Congress called a convention to rewrite the Articles of Confederation into a more powerful document. Each state appointed delegates to attend a meeting in Philadelphia to develop a more effective constitution. -
The Virginia Plan was proposed
The Virginia Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. -
The New Jersey Plan was enacted
The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787.
