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1500 BCE
Moses
In the Old Testament, Moses divinely received the Ten Commandments. Moses calls for the law to apply equally to all people. -
600 BCE
Old Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God. -
100
New Testament
The biblical idea of a covenant, an ancient Jewish term meaning a special kind of agreement between people and God. -
1215
The Magna Carta
In 1215, English nobles were upset with the oppressive policies of King John. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims governed themselves by a written contract between themselves. -
The Constitution of Connecticut
The Constitution of Connecticut was the first constitution written in America and had a huge influence on the Founders of America. -
English Bill of Rights
Power struggled between the monarch and Parliament persisted for more than 400 years. In 1688, the English Parliament removed King James II from the throne with little resistance. -
House of Lords
The members of the upper chambers were the first sons of noble families and later members who inherited their positions. -
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 group of philosophers including John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, and Voltaire sought to apply the rights of scientific inquiry to study human society. -
The French and Indian War
A struggle between the French and British over lands in what is now western Pennsylvania and Ohio led to the start of the war. -
The Stamp Act
King George III became the King of England in 1760. To pay for the war, the king and his ministers levied taxes on tea, sugar, glass, paper, and other products. The Stamp Act of 1765 imposed the first direct tax on the colonists required them to pay a tax of legal documents, pamphlets, and even playing cards. -
English Common Law
Common law and its commentaries is based on custom, usages, and general principles found in court decisions that serve as precedents to be applied to situations not covered by statutory law. This has been 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 the Boston Harbor. In retaliation, the Boston Parliament passed the Coercive Acts or Intolerable Acts and closed Boston Harbor. -
The First Continental Congress
On September 5, 1774, delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia for the Congress. Their purpose was to decide what to do about the relationship with Great Britain. They imposed an embargo to prohibit trade with England and agreed to boycott British goods. -
The Second Continental Congress
Within three weeks, delegates from all thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress in May 1775. -
The Thirteen Colonies
Each of the Thirteen Colonies had its own government consisting of a governor,a legislative body, and a court system. These colonial institutions exercised some local authority, but the British believed that all colonists owed allegiance to the monarch. -
The Declaration of Independence
One of the most famous documents in the world written by President Thomas Jefferson who explained the reasons the American colonies were angry and justified about the revolution. -
The Articles of Confederation
Written in 1777 and stemming from wartime urgency, its progress was slowed by fears of central authority and extensive land claims by states. -
The Constitution of the United States
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government.
