-
Jun 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is a document of 37 laws that King John of England was forced to sign. The reason why he had to sign this document, was to regulate and give his power standards. If the king is overusing his power, then who is to respect him? This document set out certain regulations and policies towards his conditons of rulings. The Magna Carta was drafted by Archbishop Stephen Langton and the most powerful Barons of England. The Magna Carta demonstrated that the power of the king could be limit -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific standards of the subject that the king is prohibited from not following. The Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law. Despite debates over its legal status, the Petition of Right was highly influential. Domestically, the Petition is seen as one of England's most famous constitutional documents. -
English Bill of Rights
The bill was formally passed through Parliament after the crowning of the new King. On December 16, 1689, the King and Queen gave it Royal permission, which meant the end of the concept of the king being the almighty. The Bill of Rights was designed to control the power of the King and Queen and to make them liable of laws passed by Parliament. In conclusion, The English Bill of Rights was written to guarantee the rights of Englishmen and to limit the power of the royal family. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was Parliament's first serious attempt to assert governmental authority over the colonies. AN ACT for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations. -
Townshend Duties
In 1767 the English parliament cut the British land tax, and, to balance the budget, Charles Townshend promised that he would tax the Americans to make up the difference. Taking advantage of the distinction the Americans had drawn between internal and external taxes, he put through a series of acts laying import duties at American ports on paper, lead, glass and tea shipped from England. These duties, however, didn't have an economic but a political purpose.The money went to British officials. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a street fight between a patriot mob, throwing snowballs, stones, and sticks, and a squad of British soldiers. The presence of British troops in the city of Boston was increasingly unwelcome. The riot began when about 50 citizens attacked a British sentinel. A British officer, Captain Thomas Preston, called in additional soldiers, and these too were attacked, so the soldiers fired into the mob, killing 3 on the spot and wounding 8 others, two of whom died later. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act, passed by Parliament would launch the final spark to the revolutionary movement in Boston. This tea was to be shipped directly to the colonies, and sold at a bargain price. The Townshend Duties were still in place, however, and the radical leaders in America found reason to believe that this act was a maneuver to buy popular support for the taxes already in force.In Boston the Royal Governor was stubborn & held the ships in port, where the colonists would not allow them to unload. -
First Continental Congress
These were elected by the people, by the colonial legislatures, or by the committees of correspondence of the respective colonies. The colonies presented there were united in a determination to show a combined authority to Great Britain, but their aims were not uniform at all. Other colonies voices were defensive of colonial rights, but pretty evenly divided between those who sought legislative parity, and the more radical members who were prepared for separation. -
The Second Continental Congress
It was agreed that a CONTINENTAL ARMY would be created. The Congress authorized the printing of money. Before the leaves had turned, Congress had even appointed a standing committee to conduct relations with foreign governments, should the need ever arise to ask for help. In fact, that July Congress approved the OLIVE BRANCH PETITION, a direct appeal to the king. The American delegates pleaded with George III to attempt peaceful resolution and declared their loyalty to the Crown. -
Thomas Paine-Common Sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously in 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution. Common Sense, was signed, Written by an Englishman and it became an immediate success. In relative proportion to the population of the colonies at that time, it had the largest sale and circulation of any book published in American history. Common Sense presented the American colonists with an argument for freedom. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress. which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams had put forth a resolution earlier in the year, making a subsequent formal declaration inevitable. A committee was assembled to draft the formal declaration, to be ready when congress voted on independence.