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1215
Magna Carta
King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215 which limits the powers of the ruler. This is the origin for “Limited Government”, which limits the powers of the constitution and is one of the principles of the constitution. -
Stamp Act
The stamp act was an act that British put on the colonists which forced the colonists to pay taxes on paper and legal documents. This was one of the three acts that caused the colonists to revolt against the British -
Tea Act
The tea Act was the act where the British forced the colonists to pay a tax for tea. This was one of the three acts that caused the colonists to revolt against the British. -
Colonists Protest
When the British place taxes on the colonists without them being consulted by the British first, they felt that this violated their rights as English Citizens and protested. The colonists participated in the Boston Tea Party, a protest where the colonist dressed up as Indians and dumped tea off of a British ship. This was one of the causes of the American Revolution. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
Lexington and Concord was where the colonists and the British first exchanged shots. This was the first battle of the revolutionary war. -
George Washington Becomes Commander in Chief
The Second Continental Congress selected George Washington as the Commander in Chief of the new Continental Army. Washington's leadership and skill would lead the colonists to independence and to winning the Revolutionary War. -
Declaration of Independence
Thomas Jefferson wrote a statement of independence from England which was known as the Declaration of Independence. It explained why we should be free, listed the grievances we had with King George III and England's Parliament, and it declared out independence. -
Battle of Saratoga
After winning the colonists won the battle of Saratoga, the French decided to join the war on our side. This is known as the turning point in the war. -
Battle of Yorktown
When the continental army won the battle of Yorktown, they forced the British to surrender and they won Revolutionary War. This is also when we officially became the United States of America -
U.S. Constitution
In 1787 the Continental Congress wrote the U.S. Constitution, the document that established the basic structure of the government. It created a government in which the people hold the power and they elect their own representatives. The U.S. Constitution turns the goals of the Declaration of Independence into a concrete system of government. -
Bill of Rights
When the constitution was first created, not everyone thought it did enough to protect our individual rights. To make sure of everyones support of the constitution, the Continental Congress met again in 1789 and added ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights. These ten amendments aid in protecting our individual liberties and freedoms. -
Marbury v Madison
In 1803, a case known as Marbury v Madison established the Supreme Court and the principal known as judicial review. Judicial Review gives the Supreme Court power to determine if a law follows the Constitution. -
Abraham Lincoln
On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States. During the Civil War, Lincoln led the Northern States and would later issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the Confederate States. -
Civil War Begins
In 1861, the rise of industry and the way the government treated the different areas led to a Civil War. The purpose of the war eventually changed to ending slavery -
Civil War Ends
On 1865, the South surrendered to the North at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. This also fully abolished slavery in the United States
