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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The content of the Magna Carta was drafted by Archbishop Stephen Langton and the most powerful Barons of England. It is a document that King John of England (1166 - 1216) was forced into signing to reduce the power he had as The King of England.It symbolized the the "just rights and liberties" American colonist were fighting for as Englishmen -
Petition of Right
Approved By Charles I on June 7, 1628.It stated that by the laws of England subjects "should not be compelled to contribute to any tax, tallage, aid or any like charge not set by common consent in parliament", but the people of England were required to lend certain sums to the crown. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill was formally passed through Parliament after the coronation. On December 16, 1689, the King and Queen gave it Royal Assent which represented the end of the concept of divine right of kings. The Bill of Rights was designed to control the power of kings and queens and to make them subject to laws passed by Parliament. -
Stamp Act
On February 6th, 1765 George Grenville rose in Parliament to offer the fifty-five resolutions of his Stamp Bill. A motion was offered to first read petitions from the Virginia colony and others was denied. The bill was passed on February 17.The Stamp Act was Parliament's first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the colonies. English citizens in Britain were taxed at a rate that created a serious threat of revolt. -
Townshed Act
The Townshend Acts were a string of laws that passed at the onset of 1767 by the Parliament of Great Britain that relates to the British colonies of North America.The purpose of the Townshend Acts was to raise revenues among the colonies and use them to pay the salaries of judges and governors to enable them to have colonial rule independence -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight that occurred on March 5, 1770, between a "patriot" mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. Several colonists were killed and this led to a campaign by speech-writers to rouse the ire of the citizenry. -
Tea Act
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament on May 10, 1773, would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston. It was designed to prop up the East India Company which was floundering financially and burdened with eighteen million pounds of unsold tea. This lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
1st Continental Congresss
The First Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. It started on September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774. All the colonies sent in delegates except for Gerorgia these delegates were choosen by the people, the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. The colonies presented there were united in a determination to show a combined authority to Great Britain. -
2nd Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress met in a State House in Philadelphia. They established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was published anonymously by Thomas Paine in January of 1776. There were several editions in Philadelphia and was republished in all parts of United America. Common Sense advocated an immediate declaration of independence, postulating a special moral obligation of America to the rest of the world. -
Declaration Of Independence signed
The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress, states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence in July of 1776.The new nation will be called the United States of America and will have no further connections with Great Britain.
