-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna carta
Establishd the critical idea that the monarchy's power was not absolute -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Rights limited the king's power in several ways. It demanded that the king no longer imprison or otherwhise punish any person but by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land. Also insisted that the king may not impose martial law, or military rule, in times of peace, or require homeowners to shelter the king's troops without their consent. -
English Bill of Rights
Prohibited a standing army in peacetime, except with the consent of Parliament/ gurantees as the right to a fair trial, as well freedom from excessive bail and from cruel and unusual punishment. -
Albany Plan of Union
Proposed by Benjamin Franklin-creation of an annual conress of delegates from each 13 colonies . Mainly that body would have naval forces, make war and peace with Native Americans, regulate trade with them, tax, and collect customs duties. -
Stamp Act
Was the first direct tax imposed by Britain on its American colonies. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars . It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts -
Boston Tea Party
17 million pounds of surplus tea was proposed to be sold in America, by under selling it. British tea was being boycotted because of the heavy duties on it, the Act in America was seen as a bribe from the British Authorities. -
Intolerable Acts
After the French and Indian War the British Government decided to reap greater benefits from the colonies. The colonies were pressed with greater taxes without any representation in Britain -
First Continental Congress
was a body of representatives appointed by the legislatures of twelve North American colonies of the Kingdom of Great Britain. -
Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress 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. -
Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson -
Articles of Confederation
Established "a firm league of friendship" among the States. Each state kept " its sovereighnty, freedom, and independence, and every power, juridiction, and right...not..expressly delegated to the US, in Congress assembled". -
Shay's Rebellion
Daniel Shays was the leader of one of several bands of frustrated farmers in Massachusetts. When peaceful requests to improve poor economic conditions were ignored, these men used force to try to prevent western courts from opening and officially deciding bankruptcy cases. But there also was the larger picture of a dis-United States. Just 10 years after the Revolutionary War, the former American colonies enjoyed statehood, but they had not united under a strong national government. This issue of -
Philadelphia Convention
place where the states met up after there independence from Britain and talked about reforming the articles of the confederation
