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Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
This document contained two very important ideas that would shape English government in the future. The Magna Carta made it clear that the monarch must obey the law. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights ensured the superiority of Parliament over the monarchy. The Bill of Rights also barred any Roman Catholic from sitting on the throne. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. One took place 8 month after the incident. -
Boston Tea Party
This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. This famed act of American colonial defiance served as a protest against taxation. -
First Continental Congress
Was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies. They met earlier in the American Revolution. -
Declaration of Independence
It was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. -
Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress adopted this. The first constitution of the United States. -
Shay's Rebellion
An armed uprising that took place in Massachusetts. The crisis of the 1780s. -
Virginia Plan
Known as the Randolph Plan. 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. -
Philadelphia Convention
The men who attended this convention were considered youthful, with an average age of 42. Each of the delegates came to Philadelphia with personal perspectives that influenced their actions during the convention.
