-
1500 BCE
Moses
Made laws to treat ALL people equally. (The Ten Commandments) -
600 BCE
Old Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure. -
100
New Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God, influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure. -
1215
The Magna Carta
English nobles were upset with the oppressive policies of King John. -
The Thirteen English Colonies
These colonial institutions exercised some local authority, but the British believed that all colonists owed allegiance to the monarch. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims governed themselves by a written contract between themselves. -
The Constitution of Connecticut
The Constitution of Connecticut had a huge influence on the Founders of America. -
House of Lords
The members of the upper chamber were the first sons of noble families and later members who inherited their positions. -
English Bill of Rights
In 1689, Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights that put clear limits on the monarchy. -
House of Commons
The members of the lower chamber were elected and were often the younger sons of noble families or wealthy commoners. -
The Enlightenment
An intellectual movement concentrated in France during the 1700s. -
The French and Indian War
A struggle between French and British over lands in what is now western Pennsylvania and Ohio led to the start of the war. -
The Stamp Act
To pay for the war, the king and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products. -
English Common Law
This was used in the courts of England since the Middle Ages. -
The Boston Tea Party
A group of colonists, dressed as Mohawk Indians dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor. -
The First Continental Congress
Their purpose was to decide what to do about the relationship with Great Britain. -
The Second Continental Congress
Within three weeks, delegates from all thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. -
The Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration explained the reasons the American colonies were angry and justified about the revolution. -
The Articles of Confederation
The plan was called the Articles of Confederation and didn’t go into ineffective immediately because it had to be approved by all thirteen states. -
The Constitution of The United States
The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government.
