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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document that King John was forced to sign by the Barons because it wopuld give them more power and they were tired of being over taxed. It is important because the charter is considered to be the beginning of constitutional government in England. The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limited by a written grant. -
French and Indian War
This event is between the French and Great Britain. This war is also called the Seven Years War. The Wampanoga tribe opposed the New England colonists taking their land and they traded fur. The two countries fought over the Ohio River Valley and Great Britain won. This war ended with signing the Treaty of Paris. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was passed to raise money from the colonies for Britain. This act raised sugar prices. -
Quartering Act
This requires colonists to house the British soldiers. Colonists were not very happy about this because the British could take control of the household. -
Organizations of Sons of Liberty
After the Stamp Act, colonists formed a secrey society called the Sons of Liberty. A man named Samuel Adams helped organize this group in Boston and they sometimes used violence to scare some tax collectors. -
The Stamp Act
This act requires colonists to pay for an official stamp, or seal, when they buy paper items. Any colonists who refused buy stamps could be fined or sent to jail. The colonists were upset about this act so they formed a secret society called the Sons of Liberty. -
Repeal of the Stamp Act
This issue is a declaration that the Stamp Act was a violation of their rights and liberties. It grew quickly to repeal it and pressure on the Parliment to take it away. They repealed it in 1766. -
Declaratory Act
This act stated that the Parliament had the power to make laws for the colonies in all cases. The colonist soon became worried because it slowly took away some of their freedom. -
Townshend Act
This act placed duties on glass, lead, paints, paper, and tea. This act gave tax xollectors the right to search for snuggled goods. The colonists disliked the new laws because it took power away from the colonial government. -
Boston Massacre
This event happened between the British and colonists. The colonists were taunting the British and the British got angry and started shooting people ending up killing 5 people. The colonists used this as propoganda against the British. This battle caused tension between Americans and British. (It was the first killing.) -
Tea Act
This act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists. A lot of colonial merchants and snugglers were scared this act would put them out of business. -
Boston Tea Party
This act was about how the colonists were upset about the taxing on tea. The colonists dressed up as Indians and snuck onto three-tea filled ships and dumped over 340 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. -
Intolerable Acts
The prime minister was very mad when he heard about what happened. To punish the colonists, Boston people decided to pass the Coercive Acts. Colonists called these laws the Intolerable Acts because they were unbareable. There were a number of acts passed in 1774. -
Closing of the Boston Harbor
As a result of the Boston Tea Party, the British closed the Boston Harbor and made the boston people pay for the tea that had been dumped. That made the colonists very angry and some refused to pay. -
Governor of Massachusetts changed by the king
The government act in Massachusetts made the king really mad because it gave all the power to the local governor. The king ordered that Thomas Hutchinson had to leave power and a british soldier later took power. -
Governor Gage's seizing of colonists stockpile of weapons
Governor Gage ordered over 600 British soldiers to come and they took and destroyed the weapons that the colonists were storing. -
First Continental Congress
This meeting was called as a responce to the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts). The Congress met to discuss considered options including economic boycott of British trade and more options not mentioned. They later met for a Second Continental Congress meeting because the first one went so well. -
Massachusetts charter canceled
As a result of the Boston Tea Party, the king canceled the Massachusetts charter. This is apart of the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonists for what they did to the Boston Harbor. -
Governor of Massachusetts changed by the King
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Governor of Massachusetts changed by the king
The government act in Massachusetts made the king really mad because it gave all the power to the local governor. The king ordered that Thomas Hutchinson had to leave power and a british soldier later took power. -
Patrick Henry's speech
The first purpose of Patrick Henry's speech was to convince the colonists that Britain will not fight also maintain peace in America at all costs. To add he tried to persuade the colonists to enter into war against Britain and convince his audience that he would make a good president. He managed to get those purposes across in all of his many speeches. -
Paul Revere's ride
Thomas Gage he heard that there were a stockpile of weapons stored in Concord and in April he decided to go find them. Little did he know, there are secret spies for the Patriot cause. When Paul and William heard the news they set out on horseback and spread the news that the British were coming. -
Battle at Lexington and Concord
This battle was the first battle of the Revolutionary War and Paul Revere lead minutemen to Concord to fight. Paul was unfortunately captured before he got to Concord but his men still led on. It was a Patriot victory. It marked the outbreak between the British and the Patriots. It was the first battle fought between the fledgling states and the British government. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a meeting of colonial delegates in Philadelphia to decide how to react to fighting at Lexington and Concord. This meeting moved torward gainging our independence and adopting the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. -
Benedict Arnold's Ticonderoga Fort seizure
Fort Ticonderoga is a large star-shaped fort that is in upstate New York. Benedict Arnold had a surprising attack on the Fort in 1775 and capturerd their weapons. -
Canada Invasion
The main idea of the invasion was to gain military control of the British Province of Quebec. Also, they wanted convince the French-speaking Canadiens to join the revolution on the Thirteen-colonies side. It was a British victory. They fought over the land between the Ohio River Valley. -
Forming the Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War and the colonies. In 1775, the Second Continental Congress asked George Washington to take command of the army. -
Battle of Bunker Hill
The Patriots had the British penned down in Boston and made them move to Breed's Hill. British were low on gunpowder, but still faught. The colonist later had to quit because they ran out of supplies. The Patriots lost, and the British won a tragic victory. This battle let the British know that Americans are hard to beat. -
Named George Washington commander of Continental Army
In 1775, the second Continental Congress asked George Washington to take command of the Continental Army. -
Olive Branch Petition
This was a petition adopted by the Continental Congress to help prevent a war between Great Britain. King George refused to read the petition because he said it "avowed rebellion." -
Thomas Paine's Common Sense
This was a pamplet that Thomas Paine wrote that called for the colonist to leave the British Empire and form their own governments that are ruled by the people. This pamplet helped lead to the independence of colonists because thousands of poeple read it. It was first published as an anonymous writer in 1776 but they later found out who it was. -
Nassau
The British went to Nassau hoping to take their gunpowder and munitions that were rumored to be stored there. They attacked and returned to Connecticut. It was a continental victory. -
Dorchester Heights
George Washington moved his troops to Dorchester Heights which was an area that overlooked Boston from the south. He had everyone station the cannons in themselves on Nook's Hill. The British later woke up and saw them, fleeing to Canada. It was the first victory by George Washington in the Revolutionary War. -
Signing of the Declaration of Independence
This document was adopted by the Continental Congress and signed that the thirteen original colonies and states were free from the British empire. They colonies were very happy for this and every year on July 4th we celebrate our freedom. -
E Pluribus Unum
This was a motto that stated for the first Great Seal of the United States. This seal offerered a stong determination to form a single government with all the collection of states and colonies. It unified many different people from different backgrounds and ethnic groups. It means a lot to this country. -
Declaration of rights draft
This is a draft documented in 1776 to proclaim rights of men also involving the right to rebel against an unsuitable governement. Later on, this draft incluenced lots of document including the Declaration of Independence and many more. -
Battle at Long Island
George Washington brought the Continental Army to Long Island knowing that it is a good base to stay until the British attacked. Little did he know, the British had troops coming from infront and behind them. They were forced to retreat through New Jersey and to Pennsylvania. It ended with a British victory. -
Battle of Trenton
George Washington's troops circled the British troops after crossing the Delaware River. Washington attacked on the British and the Patriots won. This battle showed the British that the Patriots could go anywhere and get anything done. -
Second Battle at Ticonderoga
White soldiers and their Indian allies arrived at Fort Ticonderoga trying recapture it from one another. It ended with the whites gaining it. This war showed that Americans had a chance in winning. -
Battle at Saratoga
This battle occured in spring of 1777 in Saratoga, New York. British General John Bergoyne wanted to recapture Fort Ticonderoga. The Amercians ruined the British route ending up in a Patriot victory. This war was the turning point of the Revolutionary War. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement between the 13 states that established the United States as soverign states and served as its first consitution. The Articles created a weak central government because they did not want one state to gain too much power. To keep up with a growing government the Articles was far too weak to maintain a countries needs so it was later replaced by the Constitution of the United States. It affected history because it gave the first structural government -
Battle of King's Mountain
Between the Patriots and Loyalists. They fought over land in North Carolina and the Patriots won. -
Battle at Yorktown
This battle is one of the last major battles in the American Revolution. It was over land with George Washington leading the Continental Army and French Army troop led by Comtee de Rochambeau. The British Army, led by Charles Cornwallis, surrendered ending the battle. The Patriots succeded in victory. -
Land Ordinance of 1785
The purpose of the Land Ordinance of 1785 was to raise money through the sale of land west of the original states. Congress at the time did not have the power to raise revenue by direct taxation of the people living in the United States. This affected history because it let people know that they can't be taxed then but later on they will be. -
Shays Rebellion
There were many factors of why Shays Rebellion started and 3 are because of economic depression, aggressive tax and debt collection, and state fiscal policy, The purpose of the people to protest because they wanted to reform the state government. This ended up with 4 people killed and 20 wounded. -
Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The mainpurpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was the creation of the Northwest Territory. It created lands south of the Great Lakes, north and west of the Ohio River, and east of the Mississippi River. It affected history because -
Constitution Ratification
The ratification of the Constitution took about a year to decide upon. Congress debated whether or not they approved it exceeding their authority by creating a new form of government instead of simply revising the Articles of Confederation. Instead, the called for a ratification in each state. It consisted of 9 states approving it for the Consitution to go into affect. Without the raitifation, states could have been upset and not approved it. -
Battle at Charlestown
Fought between the Americans and the British. Brigadier General and John D. Imboden leading the British and Colonial Benjamin L. Simpson for the Americans. This ended in a Conferderate victory. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Right was written as an act of parliment. It was specifically made to limit the powers of the King. It affected history because it set a precedent as to what the King can and cannot do. The English Bill of Rights set as a basis for the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
