-
Jun 15, 1215
magna carta
Under force and pressure, England's king John agreed to a charter of liberties known as the Magna Carta or Great Charter that would place him and all of England’s future sovereigns within a rule of law.Intended as a peace treaty, the king failed in his goals, three months later civil war broke out. -
petition of rights
A precondition to granting any future taxes, in 1628 the Parliament forced the King to agree to the Petition of Right. This asked for a settlement of Parliament's complaints against the King's non-parliamentary taxation and imprisonments without trial, plus the unlawfulness of martial law and forced billets. However, the King ensured that the Petition was enrolled in such a way that there would be doubts about its force as law'. -
fundamental orders of conneticut
Roger Ludlow, a lawyer, wrote much of the Fundamental Orders, and presented a binding and compact frame of government that put the welfare of the community above that of individuals. It was also the first written constitution in the world to declare the modern idea that “the foundation of authority is in the free consent of the people.” -
new england confederation
It was created to provide a united defense against the Dutch, French, and Native Americans along with settling boundary disputesThe government of the New England Confederation consisted of two representatives from each colony with the goal of dealing with other colonies and groups in common. -
english bill of rights
The English Bill of Rights, which was an act of Parliament, guaranteed certain rights of the citizens of England from the power of the crown. Both of these contributed to the establishment of parliamentary sovereignty, which gives the legislative body of Parliament absolute sovereignty and makes it supreme over all other government institutions. The Bill of Rights also shrunk many of the powers of the crown. -
iroquois confederation
The Iroquois Confederacy was a cultural and political union of several Native American tribes residing in the present-day state of New York. It was a confederation of Native American Indians which was originally composed of 5 tribes consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca people. -
Period: to
french indian war
The french indian war lasted from 1754-1763. When France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley brought repeated conflict with the claims of the British colonies, a series of battles led to the official British declaration of war in 1756. Boosted by the financing of future Prime Minister William Pitt, the British turned the tide with victories at Louisbourg, Fort Frontenac and the French-Canadian stronghold of Quebec. -
boston massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British regulars on March 5, 1770. 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. -
declaration of independence
When armed conflict between bands of American colonists and British soldiers began in April 1775, the Americans were seemingly fighting only for their rights as subjects of the British crown. By the following summer, with the Revolutionary War in full swing, the movement for independence from Britain had grown, and delegates of the Continental Congress were faced with a vote on the issue. In mid-June 1776, a five-man committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin was tas
