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Jan 1, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is one of the earliest documents in the US constitution. The name Magna Carta means Great Charter. The Magna Carta has 63 rules. Kings have to swear to follow these rules in order to rule. The document is one of the earliest forms of government. -
Jun 28, 1491
King Henry VIII
King Henry VIII was the third child and second son of Elizabeth of York and Henry VII. He had two brothers named Prince Arthur and Edmund Duke. King Henry VIII ruled over England when he was King. He was betrothed to his brothers widow Cathrine of Aragon. King Henry died January 28 1547. -
Squanto
Squanto was a Native American Indian who was a member of the Wampanoag and Pawtuxet tidbes. He was Born in Cape Cod in 1585. Squanto was a man that had been captured and kidnappeed many times in his life. One of the people that had captured Squanto was a man named Thomas Hunt. Squanto helped the pilgrims grow food and teach them how to live on the land. -
Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker was born into a Puritan family. He was a very educated man and went to school in England. His religion made him flee Holland and he moved to Massachusetts. Thomas Hooker got kicked out of Massachusetts and moved to Connecticut. He began speaking and some of his speech went into the constitution. He was very important in the development of the constitution. -
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a man that made major contributions in the founding and chronicling of the history of New England. In 1629, he was elected to be governor of a new colony in America by the Massachusetts Bay Company. He served as governor of Massachusetts from 1637 to 1640, and from 1646 to 1649. He made a journal that was later published as "The History of New England." John Winthrop was a great man in the history of New England and America -
Annie Hutchison
Annie Hutchison was born in England and immigrated to Massachusetts Bay with her family. She was really interested in theological issues. She wold hold weekly discussion groups in her home after Sunday services. Her discussions began to become popular and governors would even attend them. She was a very important person in US History andin the Massachusetts colony. -
John Wheelright
John Wheelright was born in Saleby, Lincolnshire, England. He was named after a leader in the Antinomian Rebellion. His father designed most of the buildings in Massachusetts. John was also a popular poet. John was a known for his inspiring poetry. -
Roger Williams
Roger Williams was the founder of the state of Rhode Island and a big political and religious leader. He confiscated land from the Native Americans which the people of America did not like. His practices got him banned from the colony. Roger Williams made a "wall of separation between the church and the state. This inspired founders of the United States. His rule got incorperated into the "Bill of Rights." -
Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet was born to a nonconformist soldier in 1612. Her father and husband were both governors of Massachusetts. Anne was a person who was very interested in poetry. She had 8 children of her own. Most of her poetry was written to her parents show her love and appreciation for them. -
Mayflower Compact
A document named the "Mayflower Compact" was signed on the Mawflower on November 11, 1620. The goal of the Mayflower Compact was to establish a temporary, legally-binding form of self government. It was to have some control over the pilgrims until New England gave permission to establish a government. The "Mayflower Compact" did a good job at establishing a temporary Government. The real document has never been found. -
The First Thanksgiving
The First Thanksgiving was a celebration of the first harvest in the new land. This celebration took place for three days. It consisted of pilgrims and Native Americans. The pilgrims had a devestating winter before the First Thanksgiving because of sickness. The First Thanksgiving was more than just eating food. -
King Charles II
King Charles was the monarch of Ireland, England , and Scotland. Charles lived in exile for some of his life due to the execution of his father. He was eventually crowned the King of England, Ireland, and Scotland. The government had collapsed beforehand and they needed a new leader. This is the story of King Charles II. -
Metacom
Metacom was the father of Wampanoag. Metacom and his father lived peacfully with the pilgrims. He left Rhode Island due to how people treated him. He later had to sign a peace agreement that included the surrender of Indian guns. He established a military alliance with southern New England tribes. -
William Penn
William Penn was known as an English Quaker. He founded the colony of Pennsylvania which was known as a place for religious freedome in America. He wanted a place were everyone could have religious freedom. He died on July 30, 1718 in England. -
New Netherland Becomes New York
New Netherland was created by dutch colonies. Through Military conquest and treaties, New Netherland became New York. The British took new Amsterdam by force. They eventually took over the whole area away from the Dutch. mThis is how New Netherland became New York. -
King Philips War
This war was the last effort made by the Native Americans to drive out English settlers in the South. This war started when trading partnerships between the Native Americans and the English settlers collapsed. The settlers wanted to take the Native American's territory. The Native Americans ended up losing the war. The remaining Native Americans that hadn't been killed were captured and sold into slavery. -
Bacon's Rebellion
In the 1670's, the governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley became very unpopular with small farmers due to a lot of restrictions. Berkeley was also fighting with the Indians which left many Virginians unemployed. A reletive of Berkeley named Nathaniel Bacon came from England to set up a small plantation. Bacon tried to go to an assembly but was arrested by the governor's agents. Bacon raised an army of people and marched into Jamestown. They decided to torch Jamestown. -
Penn's Holy Experiment
William Penn established Pennsylvania between 1681 and 1683. Penn had a plan to see how people interacted when they were all born from different religions. Penn had a few rules that made up his philosophy. They were Fair treatment for the Native Americans, no military, a new approach to governance, freedome of religion, an enlightened penal code, work for everyone, education for everyone, a widened franchise, and town planning for a healthy living. This is what Penn's holy experiment was. -
James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe was military leader. He had a plan to establish the colony of Georgia. After Britian authorized the construction of Georgia, James spent more than a decade forming Georgia. Over time, people started to move to Georgia and it gained military power. This is how Georgia was formed. -
Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards was known as one of the greatest theologicans and philosophers of all time. Jonathan was a pastor of the church at East Windsor. His family had a history of pastors and ministers. He had 11 children. He was also known as one of the forerunners of the age of protestant missionary. -
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin is one of the founding fathers of the Declaration of Independance and the constitution of the United States. He was born in Boston in 1706. He was known for ending many wars such as the Revolutionary war. He was very smart in electricity, mathematics, and mapmaking. He is one of the most famous people in US history. -
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams was a cousin of John Adams and was born in Boston Massachusetts. He was a tax collector in Boston and a deligate to the first Continental Cangress. He was later elected Governor of Massachusetts. He signed the Declaration of Independance. He died in 1803 in his own home in Boston. -
Fredrich Von Steuben
Fredrich Von Steuben was a man who made the American Army better with his knowledge about armies. His father was an army engineer. He became a baron but failed to find funds so he returned to Germany. He came back and served at Valley Forge. He made that army successful in battle and greatly influenced the power of the American Army. -
George Washington
George Washington was known as a Continental army leader and the first president of the United States. George Washington was born in Virginia in 1732. He was the first leader of the United States. He was a founding father of the United States. He also won many wars for the United States. -
John Adams
John Adams founded the first Vice President of the United States. He was also the second president of the United States. John was born in Massachusetts and studied at Harvard University. He helped Draft the Declaration of Independance. He was a man that had been in the colonies through a lot of hard times. -
John Hancock
John Hancock was one of the men who signeg the Declaration of Independance. He was a man well known in the history of the American Revolution. He brought the American Revolution into being. He was an adopted child and lived with a very wealthy merchant. He died October 8, 1793. -
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was a philosopher and writer. He was born in England in 1737. He wrote the first pamphlet to avocate the Independence of Americans. His pamphlets got him into prison. When he got released, he got back to writing the last of his pamphlets. His writing made the belief of independance from Britian possible. -
King George III
King George III ruled over England for 59 years. He won the British the victory in the Seven-years War. He presided over the loss of the American Revolution. He got mentally ill while he was ruling. He suffered the last few years of his life in insanity and blindness. -
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independance. He was the Third President of the United States. Thomas was the main leading figure in the early developement of America. He was also the man who made the Louisiana Purchase. He was a very big part in the developement of America. -
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was born in Virginia in 1752. He became a military leader in Virginia. He later purchased western Kentucky from the Native Americans. He also settled disputes between the Americans and the Native Americans. He was very important for handling the problems in the West while the Revolutionary war was fought in the East. -
Phillis Weatley
Phillis Weatley was a slave poet. She was born in Senegal in 1753. She could write his poetry in many different languages which helped her in her writing. She was purchased by a slaveowner and became his wife. She was kidnapped at the age of 8 and brought over to America. -
French and Indian War
This war was the beginning conflict between France and Britian. France was trying to expand into the Ohio River Valley. The British colonies did not agree with this expansion. The British and French colonies went to war with each other for seven years. In the end, the British colonies won. -
Nathan Hale
Nathan Hale was born in Connecticut. He became a schoolteacher after graduation from Yale university. When the war began, he became a captain. He had served in the Seige of Boston. He was hung in 1776 by the British for espionage. -
Henry Lee
Henry Lee was a calvary officer during the Revolutionary War. He made a resolution after the death of George Wasthington. He graduated from the College of New Jersey. After the war, Henry served the Virginia Legeslature. Most of his life was dedicated to the Revolutionary War. -
Marques De Layfett
Marques De Layfett was born in France. His father died in the Battle of Minden. After that he tried to get into the American army but was denied and then fled back to France. He was later accepted into the American army and showed outstanding bravery and dedication. He helped win battles in the Revolutionary war as a Commander. -
Pontiac's War
Fort Pitt sent blankets to the Indians that were full of smallpox. This caused a deadly epidemic. Pontiac was a tribal leader for the Indians. He organized a combined resistance went to war with the British. This was a turning point for the Indians. -
Proclamation of 1763
After the French and Indian War, the colonies needed a celebration. This would open up new opportunities for the colonies. The Proclamation of 1763 did the exact opposite of this. It closed off all expansion to the West. It ruined the day of every colonist. -
The Sugar Act
The Sugar act made the colonists pay taxes on the sugar they bought. They were to pay six pence per gallon of sugar. Back in the day, that was a lot of money going toward taxes. This did not make the colonists happy. It made them feel like they were being controlled by Britian. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp act allowed the British to tax the US colonies on any item bought in a store with a British stamp on it. This really affected the poor people because they did not have enough money to pay these taxes. The stapm wasn't just on newspapers and letters, it was on just about everything. This was not fair to the colonists, because they shouldn't have had to pay that many taxes to wars that they weren't even fighting. This act was one of the things that influenced the separation from GB. -
Quartering Act
The Quartering act was to adress the concerns of troop deployment. This meant that a troop could just walk into your house and sleep in your bed. You would have to provide them with food, shelter, clothes, etc. It raised concerns for many of the colonists. They felt like they were being controlled. -
The Boston Massacre
British soldiers came to another british soldier to help contain a riot that had gathered in one of the streets. The British soldiers started getting horrible words and snowballs thrown at them. The colonists wanted to be free from the rule of Britian. One of the British soldiers started shooting at the colonists. Many were killed that night and it sparked the imagination of Benjamin Franklin. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act was the last act to start the American Revolution. This Act didn't even put any taxes on the tea. It was made to prop up the East India Company. American leaders thought it was an attempt to support the taxes already in place for them. This act lead to the Boston Tea Party. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Pary was a response to the Tea Act. The tea that was going to be sold was thrown into the Boston Harbor by colonists. It was an attempt to stop the British from putting taxes on them. 342 chests of tea were thrown into the harbor that night. It was the start of the separation from Britian. -
The Intolerable Acts
The British were really mad about the Boston Tea Party. British good that had been shipped to the Harbor had been destroyed and looted. The British wanted the colonists to pay for all of the goods destroyed. This deeply offended the colonists. This was the end of the Allience between the colonists and Britian. -
The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga was located on Lake Champlain in New York. Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen's army made a surprise attack on fort Ticonderoga at dawn on May 10, 1775. This fort was a big trading post between the US and Canada. The battle was won that day. It was the first American victory in the Revolutionary War. -
Deleware Separates
The land that would be Deleware in the future was governed by William Penn. William Penn needed acess to the ocean for his colony. The people that lived in the land that was to become Deleware did not like how Penn ruled and sepatated from Penn. Over the years, the connection between Deleware and Pennsylvania grew weaker and weaker. Eventually Deleware became its own independant state. -
Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the Revolutionary War for the Americans. The British used a strategy called "Divide and Conquer." It was to separate the Americans from their allies, The British won that battle. Meanwhile, American forces were marching to Mount Independance. The British and Germans lost the battle and about 500 of them were captured. -
Valley Forge
Valley Forge was a horrible place for the American army. The soldiers fought each other and were often killed from hunger and disease. The army gained confidence from great leaders and mentors at Valley Forge. The American army went and won the Revolutionary war with confidence. Valley Forge tested the American army and ended up making them tougher. -
New Jersey
New Jersey was one of the original 13 colonies. It was an important battleground in the American Revolution. New Jersey was named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. New Jersey has the highest density population in the United States. It is also the leading producer in cranberries, blueberries, and tomatoes. -
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was a document that runs the US government. It is made up of ten amendments. They are the Freedome of Speech, Right to bear arms, conditions for quarters of soldiers, right of searchand siezure regulated, provisions concerning prosecution, right to a speedy trial, right to trial by jury, cruel punishment, rule of construction of contitution, and rights of the state under constitution. These are the rules that make up our government. It has been our main form of government.
