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Sep 5, 1215
Magna Carta
A group of determined barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. The barons were seeking protection against the kings heavy taxes and horrible acts. -
Petition of Right
It is a document that sets out certain rights that the king is not allowed to infringe upon. It includes things such as non-Parliamentary texes, imprisonment without a cause, and resticts martial law. -
English Bills of Rights
It is an act declared by the Parliament of England. It lays down limits on the powers of the crown and and sets out the rights for Parliament. -
Albany Plan of Union
It was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a centralized government. Although this plan was never carried out, it was the first plan to put the colonies in a whole, collective unit under one government. -
Boston Massacre
It was the killing of five colonists by the British. It was the final breaking point of the tensions that had been growing in the American colonies since troops first appeared in Massachusetts in 1768. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of Patriots protested the monopoly on American tea imports. They seized 342 chests of tea and dumped them into the Boston Harbor. -
First Continental Congress
It was called in response to the Coercive Acts. The Intolerable Acts punished people for the Boston Tea Party. This congress lead to the Second Continental Congress. -
Second Continental Congress
It was a convention of delegates from the thirteen colonies that started meeting shortly after the American Revolutionary War began. The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. -
Declaration of Independence
This document declared independence from Great Britain and became independent states. John Adams was one of the people to push for and indeendent nations and this is when the United States of America was established. -
Articles of Confederation
On July 4, 1776 the British monarchy was overthrown and left the US with no central government. Therefore, we had to design and install a new government, which led to the Articles of Confederation.The Articles of Confederation was the first attempt by the United Staes for a constitution. -
Shay's Rebellion
It was an armed uprising named after Daniel Shays who was one of the rebel leaders. It was caused by several factors and numerous protesters acted out in rebellion. -
Virginia Plan
It was a proposal by Virginia delegates drafted by James Madison. It traced the outline of what would become the Constitution. The Virginia Plan proposed the idea of having three branches of government: legislative, judicial, and executive. -
New Jersey Plan
This plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan. This plan also said the the Articles of Confederation should be amended. -
Philadelphia Convention
It was a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, some people who attended had a new purpose which was to just create a new government instead of fixing the current one.
