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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Crata drafted
King John was forced into signing the charter because it greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England. The Magna Carta became the basis for English citizen's rights. The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limited by a written grant. The person who wrote and drafted the magna carta was Archbishop Stephen Langton. -
Petition of right is drafted
ts a huge constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law. -
English Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States became known as the Bill of Rights because they contained freedoms that Americans held to be their inalienable rights. So important were these rights that several states insisted on a promise of amendments guaranteeing individual rights before they would approve the Constitution. The major British precursors to the Bill of Rights are, The Magna Carta,the Petition Of Right, and the Bill of Rights. -
Stamp Act
The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed. The money collected was for the army. -
Townshend Duties
After the Stamp Act had failed, the Parliament tried to come up with ways to make money to pay for the standing army in the colonies. A man named Charles Townsheld proposed setting duties on glass, paper, paint, and tea. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars. 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 American colony was taxed for every load of tea brought into port,especially Boston Harbor.Coffee was not so popular then and the tea tax put it out of the buying range of most colonists. Ships were stalled and people were in need of work this situation lead to the Boston tea party. -
1st Continental Congress
Two groups of people from all over the 13 Colonies who came together to discuss liberty. Carpenter's Hall was also the seat of the Pennsylvania Congress. All of the colonies except Georgia sent delegates. These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. -
Common Sense was published (Thomas Payne)
Thomas Payne published Common Sense, a strong defense of American Independence from England. "Common Sense" advocated independence for the American colonies from Britain and is considered one of the most influential pamphlets in American history. Purpose was setting his argumentsin favor of American independence. American colinies considered his panphlet one of the most infuential in American history. -
2nd Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress decided many important things. At the Congress, they decided to completely break away from Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress meeting started with the battle of Lexington and Concord fresh in their memories. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington. -
The Declaration of Independence signed
Independence Day, or the Fourth of July, celebrates the adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence.The Declaration of Independence is the birth certificate of the United States of America. It declared our commitment to freedom and guaranteed our basic rights. Every freedom we have as Americans comes from the Declaration of Independence.
