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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta, also known as the Great Charter, was created to give the people of England more rights, as well as limit the power of King John. This is an important part of the history of government because this document set the basis for constitutional law that we see today. -
Jamestown
Jamestown was one of the first colonies in the New World. This was created by the London Company. The settlers were not used to the conditions in the America's and therefore suffered through the first winter. Jamestown was the beginning of the settling of new colonies in America. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a document drafted by the original Mayflower pilgrims. The pilgrims felt that they need some form of government while in America. This was the first government system created by the pilgrims and was the start of American government. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right specifically stated that the king could not touch certain rights of the citizens. This document outlined taxation, rules of imprisonment, as well as martial law. This was one of the first documents to ever give people "inalienable rights". -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights defined the limitation of power of the king, as well as giving the people rights that the government could not take away. Among the rights granted by this was the right to free speech. This document was the example the founding fathers used for our Bill of Rights. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union came from the question of how to organize the government that would oversee the British American colonies. The Albany Plan, created by seven representatives from the colonies, proposed a central government. This was a major step towards the centralization of government in America. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act required that most documents in the colonies be printed on stamped paper. This stamped paper was an additional charge for the colonists. This event helped strengthen colonial opposition towards Britain. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a violent incident between the colonists and the British military, which resulted in five people being killed. The cause of this event came from the unrest of the colonists toward the British military, which had come from Britain to enforce the Townshend Acts. This was one of the events that drove the desire to separate the colonies from Great Britain. -
Boston Tea Party
The event known as the Boston Tea Party occurred due to the anger of the colonists towards Britain due to the taxation on tea. Colonists snuck onto a ship in the harbor and destroyed all of the tea. This event was a major step in the process of beginning the American Revolution. -
American Revolution
There were many events starting in the late 1700s that led up to the American Revolution. The biggest step towards freedom came when the framers wrote the Declaration of Independence. The American Revolution is the reason why Americans are not considered to be British. -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts created by Parliament to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party. The Boston Port Act, the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, the Quartering Act, and the Quebec Act all raised the tension between America and Britain. These acts helped fuel the American Revolution. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a gathering of representatives from twelve of the thirteen original colonies. The gathering was called due to recent Coercive Acts passed by Britain. The representatives debated how to react to this event, eventually trying to boycott British goods. This was one step towards the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress began after the start of the American Revolution, causing the main purpose of the congress was to help the war effort, as well as free America from Britain. The Second Continental Congress is responsible for the Declaration of Independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was drafting by our founding fathers as a result of the unrest with Britain. The Declaration of Independence declared America's freedom from Britain. This one document basically announced the beginning of the American Revolution. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of what is known today as the United States of America. This is crucial to American history because this was the first system of government that our founders felt their voices were heard. The system of government established by the Articles of Confederation gave the people a voice. -
Shays' Rebellion
Daniel Shays, an American Revolution veteran, became angered with the massive amounts of money the courts were attempting collecting under the idea that the people should pay the debt from the war period. Daniel Shays' and a gathering of other war veterans forced many court houses that were collecting taxes and debts to close. This series of events helped shape the aspects of the U.S. Constitution and our government. -
Constitutional Convention- Philadelphia Convention
The main purpose of the convention was to determine how the American government should be run and whether or not to keep the Articles of Confederation. This convention is responsible for producing the U.S. Constitution that we use today. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise came from the debate over representation in government. One plan, the Virginia Plan, called for representation by population, while the other plan, the New Jersey Plan called for equal representation regardless of population. The Connecticut Compromise combined both by having a Senate with having equal representation and the House of Representatives having proportional representation. We still use this system in our government today.
