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1215
Magna Carta
(Latin for “Great Charter”). This document protected the nobles’ privileges and upheld their authority. It also granted certain rights to all land-holders—rights that eventually came to apply to all English people. -
May flower contract
the Pilgrims, arrived in America. They built a settlement called Plymouth hundreds of miles north of Virginia.Even before their ship, the Mayflower, reached America, the Plymouth colonists realized they needed rules to govern them-selves if they were to survive in a new land. They drew up a written plan for government. Forty-one of the men aboard signed the Mayflower Compact. -
English Bill of Rights
To clarify the new relationship, Parliament drew up the English Bill of Rights in 1689. This document stated that the monarch could not suspend Parliament’s laws; the monarch also could not create special courts, impose taxes, or raise an army without Parliament’s consent. -
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Cato's Letters
He wrote letters that argued against the king's rule, fought for the freedom of expression. -
French and Indian War
A conflict between Britain and France over on colonized territory in America. The war lasted seven years and created massive economic strain for Britain and the colonies. -
Townshend Act
A series of acts that took away some of the colonists freedoms and required new taxing on everyday imports such as paper, paint,lead, glass, and tea. -
Mercantilism
the theory that a country should sell more
goods to other countries than it buys. -
Stamp Act
A law placed on the colonies stating what every letter, newspaper, or important document required expensive stamps. -
Declaratory Act
After the repeal of the stamp act, Britain passed the Declaratory Act in 1766 the stated that the colonies were to be taxed in the same fashion as Britain. -
Townshend Act
British soldiers shot and killed several people in Boston while reportedly being harassed by mob. -
Tea Act
Act granted the main tea company the charter to ship the tea directly to the colonies and not have to stop in Britain first. -
Boston Tea Party
A protest in the colonies against Britain's excessive taxing. -
First Continental Congress
A meeting of 12 delegates from the thirteen colonies. -
Intolerable Act
After the Boston Tea Party, Britain passed a set of laws that were intended to punish the participants of the protest. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to try to encourage colonists to ask for Independence from Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
The First battles of the revolutionary war. -
Second Continental Congress
The second meeting of 12 delegates from the 13 colonies. -
Declaration of Independence
The thirteen colonies declared independence from Britain in the first step towards becoming the United States of America.
