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Period: to
Colonial Era
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Founding of Jamestown
A group of English men were sent to the New World by the Virginia Company of London to settle the first English Settlement. The main attraction was a promise of gold, with a strong desire to find a passage through America to the Indies. Jamestown's main profit was the tobacco plant. -
Founding of the Virginia House of Burgesses
It was the first representative government of America. The London Company authorized the settlers to create the House of Burgesses. This assemblage was the first of many miniature parliaments to flourish in the soil of America. -
Massachusettes Bay Founding
The "Bible Commonwealth" was founded for Puritans to freely practice their religion. They were able to take 11 ships, nearly a thousand immigrants, to the New World. John Winthrop became the colony's first governor. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
The settlers of the new Connecticut River colony drafted an open meeting trailblazing document, the FOC. It established a regime democratically controlled by the "substantial" citizens. It was later borrowed by Connecticut for its colonial charter and state constitution. -
Maryland Act of Toleration
Passed by the local representative assembly in 1649. Maryland's new religious statute gauranteed toleration to all Christians. But it decreed the death penalty for those, like Jews and athiests, who denied the devinity of Jesus. This law sanctioned less toleration than before. Sheltered more Roman Catholics. -
Halfway Covenant
This modified the covenant to admit baptism, but not full commision. It weakened the distinction between the elect and the others,further diluting the spiritual purity of the original settlers' godly community. Mainly for the unconverted children of existing members. -
King Philip's War
King Phillip's War slowed the westward march of English settlement in New England for several decades. The was kept a defeat on New England's Indians. Frontier settlements were hit hard. King Phillip's head was carried back, on a pike, to Plymouth. -
Bacon's Rebellion
It signaled the problems of social division, resistance on the part of colonists against royal governance, and the difficulty of controlling indentured servants. It led to an increase in the need for slaves. Bacon and his men engaged in a series pf raids against local native villages. The mobs defated Berkely's forces and set Jamestown on fire. -
Leisler's Rebellion
In New York animosity between lordly landholders and aspring merchants fueled the rebellion. This rebellion was very violent and rocked New York from 1689-1691. It mocked Britain's Glorious Revolution. The revolt left the colony polarized, bitterly split into two rival factions. -
Salem Witchcraft Trials
Twenty individuals and 2 dogs were hung to death for being convicted of witchcraft. Most of the witches came from Salem's burgeoning market economy; their accusers came from large farming families. Marked an all-time high in the American experience of popular passions run wild. -
John Peter Zenger Trial
The case was held in NY reflecting the tumultuous give-and-take of politics in the middle colonies, where so many different ethnic groups jostled against one another. JPZ's newspaper offended the royal governor. He was defended by an indentured servant. This was a banner success for freedom of the press. -
Stono Rebellion
It was the largest slave revolt in the British mainland colonies prior to the American Revolution. The group was led into South Carolina and killed about 20 or more whites. They were stopped by the town militia. In response to the rebellion, the SC legislature passed the Negro Act of 1740. -
Period: to
Revolutionary Era
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French and Indian War
Overall, the French and Indian war was fought over one piece of land. It was fought over the Ohio River Valley. The Indians were allied with the British until they got a great offer from France. General Bradick was in charge of the British army and didn't fight the Indian way. Because of that, the British lost and the General died.Initially, it marked the end of the French Empire in America and weakened it in India and Europe. -
Proclomation of 1763
Stated that Americans could not cross the Proclamation line (stay east of the Appalachian Mountains). After the Seven Years War , there were many deadly confrontations between Native Americans and colonists. British saw the Proclamation as an abridgement to the conflicts. -
March of the Paxton Boys
It protested the Quaker oligarchy's lenient policy toward the Indians, and a few years later spearheaded the Regulator movement in North Carolina, a small but nasty insurrection agaisnt eastern domination of the colony's affairs. -
Stamp Act
First direct tax. "No taxation without representation." The Stamp Tax was one of the taxes to help fund the war that was just fought and won. The act has long denied full representation to their own backcountry pioneers. -
Boston Massacre
A crowd of sixty townspeople began taunting and throwing snowballs at the squad of ten redcoats. The townspeople of Boston were still furious of the death of the eleven-year-old boy.Crispus Attucks was one of the first to die. Both sides were to blame. Helped spark the rebellion in some British-American colonies -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty met on Decemer 16 at midnight in the year of 1773. Everyone, disguised as Indians, boarded the docks and threw over ten thousand pounds of tea in the harbour. This resulted in Englad shutting off Boton's port in 21 days if they don't pay for the tea wasted. -
Lexington and Concord
Minute Men refused to disperse rapidly enough, and shots were fired that killed eight Americans and wounded several more. The Redcoats pushed on to Concord whence they were forced to retreat by the rough and ready Americans.Sparked the American Revolution -
Olive Branch Petition
Adopted by the Continental Congress in July 1775. Professed American loyalty to the crown and begging the king to prevent further hostilites. The king refused and sent Hessains over to America. The Hessains ended up not caring and "dropping out". -
Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine. It is known as one of the most influencial pamphlets ever written. It questioned why Britain has the right or power to run America. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson is the author of the Declaration. Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Roger Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence. It was accepted on July 4, 1776. This document was to show France and England that we are now a free and independent counrty. -
Writting of the AOC
The Articles of Confederation weakened the federal government. It was used as a stepping stone to the Constitution. It outlined general patterns that was exercised by the general government. Also known as America's first constitution.There was no executive branch because that would be too "king-like". -
Writting of the Constitution
The constitution strengthened the federal government.The constitution would become the supreme law of the land in those states ratifying. The constitution reconciled the potentionally conflicting principles of liberty and order. It evelated ideas of the Revolution.
