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1500 BCE
1. Moses
Moses got the Ten Commandments from God including not to kill and steal. -
600 BCE
2. Old Testament
The Christian laws of nature and the relationship between God and people, government and people -
100
3. New Testament
Continuation of new covenant relationship and relationship between people and government. -
1215
4. The Magna Carta
A revolutionary document that limited the power of the British monarch for the first time. -
5. The Mayflower Compact
First written agreement between Pilgrims of how they would live together. -
6. The Constitution of Connecticut
The first constitution in North America that greatly influence the Founding Fathers to write one just like it. -
7. The English Bill of Rights
The private rights of English citizens that inspired the private rights of American citizens on our Bill of Rights. -
9. House of Lords
The house of the English parliament that became the model of the U.S. Senate in the American Congress -
8. House of Commons
The house of the English parliament that became the model of the U.S. House of Representatives in the American Congress -
10. The Enlightenment
The great intellectual movement of Europe that deeply influenced the Founding Fathers of America. -
11. The English Common Law
The codified English law that will become the basis for the laws in America. -
12. The Thirteen English Colonies
The structure of the colonial governors, legislatures and court system will become the foundation of the three branches of government at the state and national levels. -
13. The French and Indian War
The American colonists paid for the war through British imposed taxes spurring on the American Revolution. -
14. The Stamp Act
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15. The Boston Tea Party
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16. The First Continental Congress
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17. The Second Continental Congress
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18. The Declaration of Independence
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19. The Articles of Confederation
Our first written constitution that set up our government as a weak confederacy. -
20. The Constitution of the United States
The second written constitution that set up our country as a strong, federal government.
