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Sep 2, 1215
Magna Carta
King John forced to sign by nobles. Limited king's power
and guaranteed due process in England. -
Jamestown Settled
May 14th, 1607. First permanent English settlement in the
United States. Jamestown was the capital in the colonies for 83 years (1616-1699). -
Mayflower Compact Written
Settlers come to Massachusetts
for religious freedom. Since they had no government, they created a contract
whose rules and regulations they would follow to survive. Created a "civil
body politic" to govern the people. -
Petition of Right
Mandated that the King was subject to the law.
Prohibited martial law and established that taxes could only be levied by
Parliament and prisoners could challenge their sentences by writ of habeas corpus. -
English Bill of Rights
Reduced the power of the English King drastically.
Allowed Parliament free speech and the power to petition the monarch.Mandated
regular elections to Parliament. -
Albany Plan of Union
Proposed by Franklin at Albany Congress. Sought to
unite the colonies under one government. Quickly rejected. -
Stamp Act
Forced colonists to use paper produced in London for many
things including legal documents, magazines, and newspapers. This paper was taxed
in British currency. -
Boston Massacre
British soldiers harrassed by colonists. They
fire into the crowd, killing 5 people. John Adams defended them in court, and
6 of the soldiers were acquitted, while 2 others were convicted. -
Boston Tea Party
Colonists rebel against the Tea Act's
tax on British East India Compay Tea. Group of Colonists board tea ship and
destroy tea by throwing it into the harbor. -
First Continental Congress
Delegation meets to discuss
the response to the Intolerable Acts. King George III is petitioned for redress,
but to no effect. -
Intolerable Acts
Passed by Parliament to regain control in the colonies.
Closed the port of Boston, brought Massachussetts under Parliament control,
allowed governor to move trials, and forced colonists to house British soldiers. -
Second Continental Congress
Managed the Colonial War Effort
and moved toward independence. Led to the Declaration of Independence. -
American Revolution Begins
Colonies decide to seperate themselves from
Britain. War insues and the Colonies prevail, gaining independence. -
Declaration of Independence
Established that the colonies were
independent from Britain. Layed out the basic principles of the new nation
and addressed why the seperation had to occurr. Signers knew they would be
considered traitors and could die. -
Articles of Confederation
Losely binded the 13 colonies into one nation.
Allowed states to retain sovereignty, with the national congress settling
disputes between states. Granted national government little power beyond
control of army and ability to create new currency. -
Shay's Rebellion
Rebellion began in the U.S. over financial
difficulties. Produced a need for a strong Constitution to replace the weak
Articles of Confederation. -
Philadelphia Convention
Delegates meet to improve the Articles of
Confederation. Results in the Constitution of the United States. -
Constitutional Convention
Delegates meet to work out the details of a new
Constitution. Much debate is had and the result is the United States Constitution,
laying out the law of the land and establishing rights in th United States. -
Connecticut Compromise
The large states and small states disagree on
Congressional Representation. A bicameral Congress is established, with
representation in the lower house depending upon population and equal
representation in the upper house.
