Government Timeline

  • 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    King John signed Magna Carta. Shifted England to rule of law rather than rule of man.
  • Petition of Rights

    Required monarchs to obtain Parliamentary approval before levying taxes. Couldn't unlawfully imprison people.
  • Civil War

    Civil War
    Caused by conflict between Charles and Parliament. Charles defeated and beheaded.
  • William and Mary

    William and Mary were chosen to rule, but were forced to govern according to statues of Parliament.
  • English Bill of Rights

    English Bill of Rights
    English Bill of Rights is passed including free speech and protection from cruel and unusual punishment.
  • Sugar Act

    Sugar Act
    The act increased duties on non-British goods shipped to the colonies
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    required colonists to pay for stamps to be affixed to various documents and items
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    British soldiers fired into crowd and killed 5 colonists.
  • Boston Tea Party

    Boston Tea Party
    dumped all 342 chests of tea from Britain into the water.
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    a series of five laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party and colonial resistance to British rule
  • Declaration of Independence signed by delegates

    Declaration of Independence signed by delegates
    Declaration of Independence is signed by the delegates to the Second Continental Congress
  • Articles of Confederation Ratified

    Articles of Confederation Ratified
    AOC ratified by all 13 states
  • Northwest Ordinance

    Northwest Ordinance
    established a government for the Northwest Territory, which included the area west of the Appalachian Mountains and east of the Mississippi River
  • US Constitution

    US Constitution
    US Constitution was signed by delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
  • Bill of Rights

    Bill of Rights
    Bill of Rights was ratified. Convinced the Anti-Federalists to approve of the Constitution.