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1215
The Signing of the Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document created by the English Nobility in 1215 that limited the powers of the monarch and gave all (most) people in England basic human rights. These rights included the right to a fair trial by jury and more. -
The Virginia House of Burgesses
The settlers in Virginia established the House of Burgesses as a form of a representative government. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a document written by the pilgrims as a set of rules for self-governance. It was named after the ship the pilgrims arrived on, The Mayflower -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
This was believed to be the first written constitution in the United States and was a major stepping stone to American Democracy. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was written during the Glorious Revolution. This document made it so the monarchs would not have more power than Parliament. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar Act was a British law that made it so the British could charge extra money on things like sugar and molasses that were imported to the colonies. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp act was another law passed by the British that placed taxes on printed materials, such as stamps and newspapers. -
The Quartering Acts
The Quartering Acts were laws that forced colonists to take soldiers in, give them bedding and feed them when needed. -
The Townshend Acts
The Townshend Acts were laws passed by the British government that enforced new taxes and took away freedoms from the American Colonists. Also added taxes on imports of paper, lead, glass and tea -
Boston Massacre
A group of angry colonists confronted British Soldiers in Boston. After rocks and snowballs were thrown, the soldiers fired into the crowd and killed five civilians -
The Tea Act
Another set of laws passed by the British Government that gave the colonists another set of taxes on tea. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was the colonists response to the Tea Acts. The colonists dressed as Native American's and tossed the tea into the harbor. -
The Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were another series of laws that was passed to punish the colonists. -
The First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 colonies. It was originally organized as colonial resistance to Parliaments Coercive Acts -
The Declaration of Independence and the Second Continental Congress
In July of 1776, the colonies banded together and created the Declaration of Independence. This document was written to show Great Britain that the colonists wanted freedom and sovereignty. This eventually led to the revolutionary war exploding. -
The Articles of the Confederation
The Articles of the Confederation was designed to give the states more power than the central government. Congress had very little to no power and there was no independent judicial or executive branch to enforce laws. -
The Revolutionary war
The Revolutionary War was a war fought between the American Colonies and British Royal Army. The colonists were determined to gain their independence through this war. It took place between April of 1775 and ended on September 3rd, 1783 with the American Colonists gaining their independence -
Shays Rebellion
This was a rebellion that took place while the Articles of Confederation were in use. A group of farmers protested the seizure of farms over people not being able to pay debt. Lead by Daniel Shays, the group marched and attempted to seize a federal armory. -
The Constitutional Convention
This was a convention held from May to September of 1787. During this convention, several plans were created and several federalist debates were created to help create our convention. -
The Ratification of the Constitution
In 1789, the delegates of the constitutional convention finally were able to ratify the Constitution and make it our form of government
