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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum (the Great Charter of Freedoms), is an English legal charter, originally issued in the year 1215. It was written in Latin and is known by its Latin name. The usual English translation of Magna Carta is Great Charter. -
English Bill of Rights
To prevent abuse of power by William and Mary and all future monarchs, Parliament, in 1689, drew up a list of provisions to which William and Mary had to agree. This prohibited a standing army in peacetime, except with the consent of Parliament, and required that all parliamentary elections be free. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan was proposed by Benjamin Franklin at the Albany Congress in 1754 in Albany, New York. It was an early attempt at forming a union of the colonies "under one government as far as might be necessary for defense and other general important purposes" -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an incident that led to the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British troops on March 5, 1770, the legal aftermath of which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British American colonies, which culminated in the American Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
A group of men, disguised as Native Americans, boarded three tea ships in Boston Harbor. They broke open the chests and dumped the ship's cargo into the sea to protest British control of the tea trade. -
Declaration of Independence
"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang seperately." Benjamin Franklin is said to have spoken these words on July 4, 1776, as he and the other members of the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. -
Articles of Confederation is Ratified
This is the plan of a Government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution. Established "a firm league of friendship" among the States, but allowed few important powers to the central government. -
Shay's Rebellion
In the fall of 1786, Daniel Shays, who had served as an officer in the War for Independence, led an armed uprising that forced several State judges to close their courts. Early the next year, Shays mounted an unsuccessful attack on teh federal arsenal at Springfield. -
Philadelphia Convention
The Framers established a single executive, chosen independently of Congress and with its own distinct field of powers. There, several of the framers agreed with Roger Sherman of Connecticut.
