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1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was the first legal document that stated the King and his Government were not above the law. This document sought to prevent the King from exploiting his powers. -
The House of Burgesses
The House of Burgesses was the first English representative government in the colonies. It would serve as the first example or foundation that the US government had taken inspiration from. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was a set of rules for self-government that had been established by English settlers who traveled to the New World. This was meant to ensure a functioning social structure and would serve as one of the inspirations for the US Constitution. -
Albany Plan
The Albany Plan was a plan to create a more centralized gov't to rule the British North American colonies but was never carried out due to the colonies' fear of losing their self-gov't. This plan was one of the first to introduce the idea of having a central government in the colonies alongside the state governments, which is now present in the current US Constitution. -
Sugar Act
The Sugar Act had been passed after the British left the Seven Years War, which had left them in severe debt. The Act placed taxes on molasses and sugar in order to regain the money that they had lost. This would be the beginning of colonists' anger because the taxes were very expensive; they felt that it was unfair. This would become one of the grievances stated in the Declaration of Independence. -
Quartering and Stamp Act
The Quartering Act required colonists to supply British soldiers in the colonies with what they needed, while the Stamp Act required colonists to pay for stamps on all documents for the British, including legal ones. Not only was unfair taxation a result, but British soldiers began forcing colonists to allow them into their homes, provide them with dinner, and things of the like. Colonists felt that this was extremely unfair, and listed these grievances in the Declaration of Independence. -
Stamp Act Congress
The Stamp Act Congress was a group of moderate representatives from 9 colonies that had convened in NY to discuss resolutions of "rights and grievances" alongside petitioning the King and Parliament due to the repeal of objectionable measures. This was the colonies' attempt to make peace with their British rulers after the unfair taxation and policies that had been placed, however, only taxation would be disputed. This would only cause colonists to get more upset with the British. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a rebellion led by the colonists against the British tax by boarding ships carrying cases of tea and dumping them into the Boston Harbor. This would cause the British to pass the Intolerable Acts, which harshly punished the colonists and raised tensions between the two parties, causing colonists to fight against the British even more. -
First Continental Congress
This was a meeting between 12 delegates from each colony (except one) to discuss the future of America if they remained under British rule. This resulted in the colonies agreeing to boycott the British by refusing to ship their goods in, blatantly disobeying the Intolerable Acts, along with raising a militia. This was another step that America had taken to gaining their independence from the British. -
Second Continental Congress
This congress convened after the American Revolutionary War started in Lexington and Concord where they began to prepare for war by establishing a Continental Army, placing George Washington as the commander-in-chief. This, alongside the Revolutionary War, was America's biggest step towards true independence from the British. -
Declaration of Independence
Approved by the Continental Congress, this document listed reasons and grievances that the colonies had that explained to the British why they no longer wanted to remain under their rule. This marked the end of British rule over the newly independent states. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration had been approved by the Continental Congress and listed the colonies' various reasons and grievances as to why they were separating from the British. This marked the end of the British rule over the colonies, and the states had finally gained true independence. -
Articles of Confederation
These articles were written documents that established the functions of a national gov't after declaring independence, and resulted in the creation of a weak central gov't. While it was weak, it was able to stop individual states from having their own foreign affairs. This is generally considered the US's first constitution and -
Revolutionary War
The revolution had first started when shots were fired in Lexington (1775) between the British and the colonists. This marked the beginning of the US separating from the British for the first time. -
Shay's Rebellion
Led by Daniel Shays, Massachusetts farmers revolted and closed in on courts in western colonies because of property tax collection practices due to the monetary debt crisis caused by the American Revolutionary War. When they were unable to shut the rebellion down, the US was forced to realize that they needed a stronger central government. This resulted America distancing themselves from a style of gov't similar to that of unitary gov'ts, and more towards a democracy. -
Constitutional Convention
This Congress convened to discuss the issues with the weak central gov't created by the current constitution and resulted in the Articles of Confederation being put aside. As a result, the formal US Constitution was created, setting the foundation for the present day US government.