-
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, 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
In 1773, Parliament passed a law that allowed the British East India Tea Company to sell tea in the colonies at a very low price. Parliament thought the colonists would buy the cheaper East India tea, even if it did include a tax. This law hurt colonial merchants because they had to pay the tax on the more expensive teas they imported and sold. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence is the usual name of a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which was unanimously approved on July 2. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shay's Rebellion is what sparked the need for a constitution. The Articles of Conderation was not enough for the government. -
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was written by James Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph on the fourth day of the Constitutional Convention. The Virginia Plan demonstrates Montesquieu’s influence on Madison, as it called for separation of powers among three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judicial. -
New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan (also widely known as the Small State Plan or the Paterson Plan) was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention on June 15, 1787. The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan, which called for two houses of Congress, both elected with apportionment according to population.
