-
1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was in England, because of the foreign policies and taxes, the English King, King John, had the possibility of a revolt. The nobles forced the King into signing the Magna Carta which gave less power to the King and more to the people (noblemen). This was important because it created the rule of law and created the foundation for English common law. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was an agreement made by English colonists, of whom consisted of Puritans, traders, and adventurers they were hit by a storm and came to what was now known as modern-day Massachusetts. They had to create a quick government and they came to the Mayflower Compact, a direct-democracy, to keep the good of the people that were living there. This is important as it was one of the first to establish self-government in the Americas. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was created in England, it brought the solidification of Parliament and significantly weakened the monarchy. The Bill created the separation of powers as to not have one person or group have all of the power and as well as limiting the powers of the monarchy. The importance of this was the fact that it limited the power of the king and queen, gave more freedom of speech, and created better democratic elections. The people involved were Parliament and the monarchy. -
Cato's Letters
Cato's letters were a work of essays that were written by an Englishmen explaining that the British political system was tyrannical and bad. Cato or John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon wrote based off of John Locke statements and denounced the British government. The importance of the letters was to show the corruptness of the British government and it brought inspiration to the revolutionists. -
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War was a war that was fought between the British and French. The British won but they were absolutely exhausted from the war. The importance of this war was that it brought down the British economically as they had to borrow a lot of money from banks, this became the reason why the British went to heavily tax the colonies. -
Mercantillism
Mercantilism is the idea that a nation or state should export more than they import; sell more than buy. It was used widely amongst Europeans especially the British. When the British adopted this policy, it backfired, as the colonies became infuriated as they bought more but sold less. This was an important aspect that led to the revolution as this policy was the reason why the British wanted to heavily tax the 13 colonies. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was between the British and the 13 English Colonies. It took place on the 13 Colonies. The Stamp Act was the first tax that the British implemented that taxed all paper. The tax was in place because the British were hella broke after the Seven Years' War and they sought to get money from the colonies. The British repealed the act a year later as they were met with heavy boycott but also made the declaratory act. The importance is that this originally made the colonists mad. -
Declaratory Act
The Declaratory Act was an act between the 13 Colonies and the British. It took place in the 13 Colonies/Parliament. The Declaratory Act was an act that took place after the repeal of the Stamp Act, and it stated that the taxing power that the Parliament had on Great Britain would also be applied to the Americas; it essentially gave less sovereignty to the Colonies and gave more power to the British. This is important as all of the other acts were because of this act and the fury it caused. -
Townsend Act
The British army was directly involved alongside the Colonies. The act took place all over the 13 Colonies. The Townsend act was a series of laws that the British passed on the Colonies. They taxed the imports of tea, lead, glass, paint, and paper. Gave rights for British officials to go into colonist's houses and search all they want. This is important as it ignited hate from the colonists, they despised the English as it was "intolerable" to them. -
Boston Massacre
The British Army and protesting Colonists were the people involved in the massacre. It took place in Boston, Massachusetts. With the acts in place, the colonists were absolutely furious, they rioted against the positioning British troops which led to them killing incident men. This massacre brought the colonists together and became a massive factor in the colonists wanting independence. I -
Tea Act
The people involved were the Boston Tea Party/Colonists and the British army/merchants/agents. It took place in Boston, Massachusetts. The East India Company was doing poorly and to combat that, the British put on the Tea Act to allow them to trade their tea for very cheap by greatly lowering the tea tax. The importance of this was that the Boston Tea Party disguised as Indians and boarded the transport ships and then dumped all of the tea out into the sea. -
Boston Tea Party
The Sons of Liberty, other angry colonists and the British were the people involved. It took place in primarily Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Tea Party were the colonists that dressed up as Indians and went into British ships and tossed the shiploads of tea into the sea as a way to protest the Tea act. The importance of this was that it continued to increase tension between the colonists and British. -
Intolerable Act/Coercive Act
The people involved were the Colonists against the British Government. It took place all over the colonies. The Intolerable acts were set in place to punish the Boston colonists for the Boston Tea Party. The Act allowed officials to walk into the colonists' houses and take to their hospitality. It removed the free elections and replaced them with the royal government. The importance of the intolerable act was that the colonists believed that the English were violating their natural rights. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress involved 55 colonial representatives, including John Adams and George Washington. It took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The purpose of the continental congress was to find a plan to create and organize colonial resistance in reaction to the Coercive Acts. The importance of this was that it formulated the plan to seceed from the Empire and it gave the Colonists more political power. -
Lexington & Concord
The people involved were the revolutionists and the British. It occurred near the Massachusetts Bay in Concord and Lexington. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was the first military engagement of the American Revolution and it was the Americans who won. The importance of this event was that it became the final straw—the Americans wanted full independence and wanted nothing to do with the British. -
Second Continental Congress
The people involved were the delegates/representatives all over from 13 colonies except Georgia. It took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The second continental congress occurred shortly after the Lexington and Concord battles and the congress was set as the national government as they raised armies, directed strategies made diplomats, and wrote treaties/documents. The importance of the Second Continental Congress was that it truly made the 13 colonies separated from the British. -
Common Sense
The person who made the pamphlet was Thomas Paine and it was to denounce the British. It was published in the United States. The purpose of this pamphlet was the rally the American people to join the side of the revolutionists and to go against the British. The importance of this pamphlet was that it made the colonists more aware as it was easy to read and understand for the colonists and more people went to join the army/revolutionists. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence had the Revolutionists against the British. It was written in the Pennsylvania statehouse. It was written as a formal declaration of independence from the British and had the representatives all write and go against the British. The 13 Colonies were no longer and they considered themselves as a soverign political body. The importance of this is that it formally made them a separate state from the British and it started the revolutionary war.
