Early American Government

Magna Charta

Jun 15, 1215

Required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties and accept that his will was not arbitrary. Restricted power of King John.

Jamsetown Settlement

Oct 1, 1607

One of the first trips to the new world. Men went to settle and discover and use new recourses.

Mayflower Compact

Nov 11, 1620

Pilgrims fleeing persecution settled in America. The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony.

Petition of Right

Jun 7, 1628

English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing.

English Bill of Rights

Mar 1, 1689

It was a restatement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary.

Albany Plan of Union

Oct 1, 1754

Suggested by Ben Franklin, it was an early attempt at forming a union of the colonies.

Stamp Act

Oct 1, 1765

Taxes on printed materials were legal documents, magazines, newspapers and many other types of paper used throughout the colonies.

Boston Massacre

Mar 5, 1770

Mob around British sentry, used verbal abuse, soldiers got mad and fired. 5 people died.

Boston Tea Party

Dec 16, 1773

Colonists dumped tea into the harbor as a revolt against taxes. Britain got mad!

First Continental Congress

Sep 5, 1774

Convention of delagates that met because of the Intolebral acts.

Intolerable Acts

Oct 1, 1774

A series of laws passed by the British Parliament.

Amercan Revolution

Apr 19, 1775

Was when America got fed up with Briatain and wanted to beat them down and get their independence!

Second Continental Congress

May 10, 1775

Managed the colonial war effort, and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence

Jul 4, 1776

Declared independence from Britain. Signed in the Second Continental congress.

Articles of Confederation

Nov 15, 1777

Loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments.

Shay's Rebellion

Aug 29, 1786

Armed uprising that happend because of finnancial difficulties of the depression, a creidit squeeze, and harsh government.

Connecticut Compromise

Jul 5, 1787

An agreement that large and small states defined the legislative structure and representation that each state would have under the United States Constitution.

Philidelphia Convention

Sep 17, 1787

To address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain.