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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Clauses of the Magna CartaThe Magna Carta was signed betweeen the feudal barons of Medieval England and King John at Runnymede near Windsor Castle. It was pushed onto the king to limit his power. There are 63 clauses, some rights that were given to the people include: No freeman will be imprisoned or punished without first going through the proper legal system, a debtor's land may not be seized if he chooses to pay his debt from other assets, and a person's confession alone is not sufficient basis to try him. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It was created to ensure that the settlers would establish a fair government ruled by majority. It bound signers to "civil body politic" for the purpose of passing just and equal laws for the good of the colony. -
Petition of Rights
J.P Sommerville "The Petition of Right"
-On this link you wil find background information that led to the Petition of Rights
-Petition of Right is a constitutional document that sets specific liberties that the king can not infringe.
-The Petition of Rights placed restrictions on non-Parlimentary taxation, it forced billeting of soldiers, prohibited imprisonment with out cause and restricted the use of martial law -
Petition of Rights
-King Charles I reluctantly ratified the Petition of Rights
-This is a photograph of the Petition of Rights itself. -
English Bill of Rights
Clauses of the English Bill of RightsThe English Bill of Rights was presented by the Convention Parliament to King William and Queen Mary of Orange. This set forth specific rights for the people, some of which include: the pretended power of suspending, dispensing, or execution of laws by regal authority without consent of Parlament is illegal, that the electiion of members of Parliament ought to be free, and that it is the right of the subjects to petition the king. -
Albany Plan of Union
This popular picture could be seen during the late colonial era, and urged the colonists to form a strong union. This also created by Benjamin Franklin -
French and Indian War
This picture is depicting a batte during the French and Indian War. Some of the major battles include: Battle of Fort Necessity, where the French eventually surrendered, Battle Of Oswego, where the English surrendered to the French, Battle of Fort William and Henry , where the British surrender to the French, Battle of Fort Ticonderoga, where the French lost 2000 men, and the Battle of Quebec, where the English gain control of the Saint Lawrence River. Ultimately, the British win the war. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal to create a unified government for the Thirteen Colonies. After war had put tensions high among the colonies, English officials suggested a "union between ye Royal, Proprietary & Charter Governments." The plan was suggested by Benjamin Franklin, but was never taken up after British officials realized that the plan could make the colonies too poverful that the king would not be able to control. -
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French and Indian War
The French and Indian War resulted from tensions over lands in America, as both France and Britain were looking to expand. Inevitability, this war would lead to tensions among colonists and British rule, eventually triggering the American Revolution. Key leaders include: Earl of Loundoun, commander of the British forces, Major General Edward Braddock, the first general to arrive from Britain, William Pitt, leader of the British ministry, and George Washington who was just arising as a leader. -
King George III takes power
After the French and Indian War, Britain was faced with the high costs of the war. In order to pay for these costs, King George III and Parliament decided the colonies should pay for part of the war. He also declared that the colonists had to stop making settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains, and that British citizens living on land that had been won from France had to leave. These changes were part of the Proclamation of 1763.This angered the colonsts and made them feel powerless. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act imposed a tax on all American Colonists to be paid on every piece of printed paper that they used.
-Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed
-Colonial leaders were opposed because they dissaproved of how it was Englands way of raising money with in the colonies without the permission of the legislature -
Boston Massacre
This well known engraving, “The Bloody Massacre in King-Street”, was produced three weeks after the event. It was done by Paul Revere, but was based off of an illustration by Henry Pelham. However, this was not an accurate depiction of the actual event. -
Boston Massacre
Tensions in the colonies began to rise since Royal troops arrived in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce Townshend Acts and protect and support British appointed colonial officials. One night, a mob formed to harass the soldiers. The soldiers recieved verbal threats and had objects thrown at him. Eventually, the situation escalated and they fired into the crowd, without orders, killing five people and wounding others. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest staged by the Sons of Liberty. In defiance of the Tea Act, they threw an entire shipment of tea, which had been sent by the East India Company, into Boston Harbor, ruining the tea. The British government responded harshly and this eventually escalated into the American Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
This iithograph done by Nathaniel Currier is entitled "The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor," and shows the events that unfolded at the Boston Tea Party. Contrary to popular belief, few of the colonists were actually dressed as American Indians. -
Intolerable Acts
This painting is a representation of how the British viewed the Intolerable Acts. -
Intolerable Acts
A series of laws passed by the British Parliment in reaction to the Boston Tea Party
-It was to punish the Colonies for all the money that was lost during the Boston Tea Party
-The Boston harbor was closed to all ships except British ships. The colonists had to house and feed the british troups. British officials could not be tried in colonial courts. No more self-government from Boston. The Canadian borders were extended to cut off western colonies. -
First Continental Csngress
This image depicts the meeting of the First Continental Congress. The Congress met to discuss their options in putting an end to the Intolerable Acts, this included an boycott of British trade. They discussed their rights and grievances, and petitioned King George III about such grievances. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, with delegates from every colony except Georgia. These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. Included were, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Edmund Pendleton, Benjamin Harrison, Richard Bland, and Peyton Randolph, president of the convention. -
Lexington and Concord
Revolution Lexington & Concord
This video shows a reenactment of this famous battle.
This painting, showing a scene from the Battle of Lexington and Concord, is called "My Brother Has Been Shot" and it is by William Barnes Wollen -
Lexington and Concord
-The battles of Lexington and Concord marked the start of our Revolutionary war. The next morning the city of Boston was surrounded by an army that the Second Continental congress adopted into the Continental Army.
-The generals involved were Thomas Gage for the British and Captain Jonas Parker for the colonists
-After hearing British plans to send troups to Concord, Paul Revere road through Boston to warn the colonists and to Lexington to warn Sam Adams and John Hancock -
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Second Continental Congress
A meeting between the delegates of the 13 colonies to discuss their next steps after the battle of Lexington and Concord.
-Took place at the State House in Philadelphia
-George Washington, John Hancock and John Adams were involved -
Declaration of Independance
A proclamation of independence of the 13 colonies from Britain, made by the Second Continental Congress.
-Wrote by predominantly by Thomas Jefferson
-Major parts were:
1: Statement of individual rights
2: A list of reason why the colonists were angry at the British Government and the King
3: The formal declaration of independance -
Declaration of Independence
This is a photograph of the official Declaration of Independence -
Articles of Confederation
A written agreement of the 13 colonies that assured the central government had no coercive power over the states and their citizens
-The first president was John Hanson
Successes: They settled the land dispute of the Ohio Valley, it was a stepping stone toward the Constitution, and territorial arguements were settled, expanding the US borders.
Failures: It did not specify an executive head of Government, Congress couldnt levy taxes over states and Congress couldnt enforce the laws they passed. -
The Treaty of Paris
The Treaty of Paris ended the Revolutionary War, recognized American independence and established borders for the new nation.
-Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and John Adams represented the US.
-United States territory would cover from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mississippi River on the West, and from the 49th parallel and the Great Lakes in the North to the southern 31st parallel
-The British finally recognized the Declaration of Independence -
The Treaty of Paris
This photo is Benjamin West's unfinished painting of the delegations at the Treaty of Paris -
Start of the Constitutional Convention
Due to the obvious need to modify the Articles of Confederation and the disheveled and bankrupt state of the Confederation of States, they called a convention of delegates to meet.
- At the Annapolis Convention, they fixed the protectionist barriers that limited trade and commerce between the largely independent states under the Articles of Confederation
-To discuss ways to supply further recourses to the Federal Government in order to meet the needs of the Union.
