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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Magna Carta means "the great charter" and it established the principle that everyone was subject to the law. It guarantees the right to justice, the right to a fair trial, and the guaranteed rights of individuals. -
Jamestown Settled
In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the male passengers of the Mayflower, consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, and tradesmen. -
Petition of RIght
An english document setting out specific individual protections against the state. It contained principles such as no taxes may be levied without consent of Parliament. -
English Bill of Rights
A landmark Act in the constitutional law of England that sets out certain basic civil rights and clarifies who would be next to inherit the Crown. It creates separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies. It was suggested by Benjamin Franklin and a senior leader and a delegate from Pennsylvania, at the Albany Congress -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which imposed a direct tax on the British colonies in America. It required that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a confrontation in which British soldiers shot and killed several people. The event was heavily publicized by leading Patriots such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. The sons of liberty were frustrated by the taxation without representation. -
Intolerable Acts
punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British Government. -
First continental Congress
delegates from each of the 13 colonies except for Georgia met in Philadelphia as the First Continental Congress to organize colonial resistance to Parliament's Coercive Acts. It was the first planning of an american resistance against the british. -
American Revolution Begins
In April 1775 British soldiers, called lobsterbacks because of their red coats, and minutemen—the colonists' militia—exchanged gunfire at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Described as "the shot heard round the world," it signaled the start of the American Revolution and led to the creation of a new nation. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies in America which united in the American Revolutionary War. It was America's first real attempt at representative self-governance. -
Declaration of Independence
By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry. It was a rebellion in opposition to the state government's increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades; the fight took place mostly in and around Springfield during -
Philadelphia Convention
The point of the Philadelphia Convention was decide how America was going to be governed. Although the Convention had been officially called to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, many delegates had much bigger plans. -
Connecticut Compromise
This compromise provided a dual system of congressional representation. In the House of Representatives each state would be assigned a number of seats in proportion to its population.
