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Period: to
Colinal Times
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Jamestown
In 1607, a group of wealthy people made an attempt to start an English colony in North America. They formed the Virginia company of London. The founders hoped to find wealth. King James the first, backed the project and granted them the charter, giving them a large portion of north America’s atlantic coastline. In spring they pulled into Chesapeake bay and built the fort Jamestown. The conditions were harsh, and the colony barely made it through its first year. -
House of Burgesses
During the 1600’s, Virginia developed a tradition of representative Government. In 1619, Virginia’s first lawmaking body was elected and met for the first time. The lawmaking body was called the House of Burgesses. Although it could pass laws and set taxes, it had to share the power with the appointed governor. The governor could veto the laws that they wanted. The House of Burgesses was the first of the many representative governments that America went through. -
Two Treatises on Government
In 1690, John Locke published "Two Treatises on Government." This stated the belief that everyone has natural rights that they’re born with these rights are life, liberty, and property. He also questioned the idea of divine rights. In conclusion, he said that it’s the government’s job to protect people’s rights, and if the monarch violates that, the people can overthrow him/her. -
Zenger Trial
The trial of peter Zenger was a very helpful case, in the shaping of an American liberty. Zenger was charged with libel because he printed a series of articles criticizing the governor of New York. English law at the time would punish writings that criticized the government. His lawyer, Andrew Hamilton, convinced the jury that the articles were based on fact and shouldn’t be considered libel. As a result, we have freedom of press. -
Boston Massacre
A group of angry workers gathered around a small group of british soliers in Boston and began shouting and throwing snow at them. the troops fired into the crowd, and killed five. the governor tried to calm things down, but the people took it as an oppurtionity. they made it seem more severe, to anger the colonists more. that is how it became known as the Boston Mascre -
Boston Tea Party
On the night of December sixteenth, 1773, a group of large men disguised as Native Americans, boarded a tea ship. They threw 342 cases of tea into the Boston harbor. In all, they destroyed 90,000 pounds of tea, which was worth thousands of dollars. They did this because they were outraged by the Tea Act that was set in place by British Parliament. This was one of the many protests made in regard to the Tea Act. -
The Shot Heard Around The World
The Shot Heard around the World was also the first shot of the American Revolution. On April 18, 1775, General Gage sent 700 troops to the town of concord to seize arms that the American militia was storing. Five miles off from concord in the town of Lexington, seventy-seven minutemen awaited the British troops. The British tried to tell them to go home, but they refused. Shortly after they refused, a shot rang out. No one is sure who shot, but it is known as the shot heard around the world. -
The Battle Of Bunker Hill
The Americans had ten thousand troops surrounding Boston, watching and awaiting the sixty-five thousand british troops that were in the city. General Howe decided to attack straight up Bunker Hill. His first attempt failed, along with the second one. The third British attack on the hill worked, but only because the Americans ran out of ammunition. The battle proved to the British that Americans could fight and stand up to the professional british army. -
Declaration of Independence
On July fourth, 1776, Congress approved of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was a brilliant piece of writing which was built on the beliefs of the Enlightenment, and declared the reasons as to why the colonists wanted freedom from the King's rule. It changed the nature of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Saratoga
British general Burgoyne planned to cut New England off from the rest of the colonies. He made a plan, which was ruined almost right away. Her then led his troops down from Canada and pushed south. In Saratoga, New York, the Americans surrounded the British. After suffering heavy casualties, Burgoyne surrendered on October seventeenth, 1777. -
Battle of Yorktown
After the British loss of the battle of Cow Pens, they were weakened. Cornwallis moved his troops to the Yorktown Peninsula. They soon were trapped, a French fleet blocked them by sea, and Washington blocked them by land with French and American troops. Cornwallis had to surrender and the Americans won the last major battle of the war on October nineteen, 1781. -
Treaty of Paris
After the battle at Yorktown, peace talks in Paris began. Due to these peace talks, the agreement called the Treat of Paris was written. It stated that Britain recognized the independence of the United States, the new boundaries were set, and United States had to give the land, and the rights back to the loyalists. It was signed on April fifteenth, 1783. -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shay was a former American Revolutionary War caption. In 1786, he led a large uprising of about one thousand Massachusetts famers towards a state warehouse. They planned on seizing arms, but were stopped by the militia. They were angry because the government refused to help the farmers one the economic depression affected them greatly. Although they were stopped, it showed the need for a stronger central government. As a result, the Articles of Confederation were revised. -
Constitutional Convention Begins
The Constitutional Convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, things changed, the third day of the convention, the Virginia plan was proposed. Later, the New Jersey Plan was proposed. These two plans caused split emotions, so Roger Sherman worked out a compromise. It stated that there are now three branches of government, and a two-house legislature. The compromise was highly liked, and became the constitution. Other laws, such as slavery, were also added there. -
The Bill Of Rights
Many of the states insisted on having a Bill of Rights in the new constitution. So the new Congress met in March 1789 to write one. Framers provided a way to amend the constitution as needed. But December of 1791, the states had ratified ten amendments. The protected the rights and freedoms of the people. These amendments still protect the people that are granted in the Constitution.
