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Petition of Rights
The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. The Petition contains restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and the use of martial law. -
English Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England and was a restatement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary, Inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. The Bill of Rights lays down limits on the powers of the Crown and sets out the rights of Parliament, including the requirement for regular parli -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a proposal made at the Albany Congress aimed at a formation of a strong union of the colonies under one single government. The need was justified for defense against the threats posed by the infamous French and Indian War. It was proposed by Benjamin Franklin, and was among the many plans presented by the different delegates that participated in the Albany Congress. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was known as the Incident on King Street by the British in which British Army soldiers killed five male civilians and injured six others. British troops had been stationed in Boston in order to protect crown-appointed colonial officials attempting to enforce unpopular Parliamentary legislation. A mob of citizens surrounded a British senty and he began firing into the crowd without orders. -
Boston Tea Party
This famed act of American colonial defiance served as a protest against taxation. Seeking to boost the troubled East India Company, British Parliament adjusted import duties with the passage of the Tea Act. While consignees in Charleston, New York, and Philadelphia rejected tea shipments, merchants in Boston refused to concede to Patriot pressure. Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies that met at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to "The passage of the Coercive Acts" by the British Parliament. The Intolerable Acts had punished Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was called into session as the British stormed Boston in an attempt to arrest the patriots that publicly voiced their grievances against the crown. With the bloody fights at Concord and Lexington fresh in their minds, the delegates of twelve of the thirteen Colonies came together in Philadelphia to draw up a statement of positions in regards to the actions of the British Parliament. -
Magna Carta
By 1215, King John was faced with rebellions by the country’s powerful barons. Under duress, he agreed to a charter of liberties known as the Magna Carta that would place him and all of England’s future sovereigns within a rule of law. Later the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, looked to the charter as a historical precedent for asserting their liberty from the English crown. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence announced that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence. A committee of five had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence. The term "Declaration of Independence" is not used in the document itself. -
Articles of Confederation
Under these articles, the states remained sovereign and independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. Congress was also given the authority to make treaties and alliances, maintain armed forces and coin money. However, the central government lacked the ability to levy taxes and regulate commerce, issues that led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 for the creation of new federal laws. -
Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan was a proposal by Virginia delegates for a bicameral legislative branch. The plan was drafted by James Madison while he waited for a quorum to assemble at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Virginia Plan was notable for its role in setting the overall agenda for debate in the convention and, in particular, for setting forth the idea of population-weighted representation in the proposed national legislative. -
New Jersey Plan
The New Jersey Plan was a proposal for the structure of the United States Government presented by William Paterson at the Constitutional Convention.The plan was created in response to the Virginia Plan, which called for two houses of Congress, both elected with apportionment according to population. -
Bill of Rights
The First Congress sent it to the states for ratification and they came apart of the constitution. This ensures Americans' basic liberties, such as freedom of speech and religion, and protection against arbitrary searches. -
McCulloch vs Maryland
The issue of state versus national power cam before the Supreme Court in the case of McCulloch vs Maryland. The New American government had quickly moved on many economic policies, and in 1791 it created a national bank that empowered it to print money, make loans, and engage in other bank tastks. However it gave alot of power to the government which the citizens didn't like so they took it to court. -
Schenck vs United States
A decision uphilding the conviction of a socialist who had urged young men to resist the draft during World War I. Justice Holmes declared that government can limit speech if the speech provokes a "clear and present danger" of substantive evils. -
Brown vs Board of Education
The Supreme Court held that school segregation was unconstitutional. Southern politicans responded with what they called "massive resistance" to the decision. -
New York Times vs Sullivan
Decided this case established the guidelines for determining whether public officials and public figures could win damage suits for libel. To do so, individuals must prove that the defamatory statements were made with "actual malice" and reckless disregard. -
Zurcher vs Standfor Daily
Supreme Court decision holding that a proper search warrant could be applied to a newspaper as well as anyone else without necessarily violating the First Amendment rights to freedom of the press
