-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Magna Carta was written by a group of 13th-century barons to protect their rights and property against a tyrannical king. It is concerned with many practical matters and specific grievances relevant to the feudal system under which they lived. -
Petition of Right
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
It is a precourcer of the Constitution. The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the English sovereign, and was written as an act of Parliament. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. Although never carried out, the Albany Plan was the first important proposal to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was the killing of five colonists by British soldiers. Townspeople viewed the British soldiers not as order keepers but as oppressors and threats to independence. Brawls became common. -
Boston Tea Party
The demonstrators, some disguised as American Indians, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company, in defiance of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773. They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into Boston Harbor, ruining the tea. -
First Continental Congress
The Congress (representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies) met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade; rights and grievances; and petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. -
Second Continental Congress
The delegates of the 13 colonies gathered in Philadelphia to discuss their next steps. The Second Continental Congress established the militia as the Continental Army to represent the thirteen states. They also elected George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. -
Declaration of Independance
Announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. Instead they formed a new nation, the United States of America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the United States' first constitution. It established the United States as a confederation of sovereign states. -
Shay's Rebellion
An armed uprising that took place in Massachusetts that is believed to have altered the course of America. It was fueled by perceived economic terrorism and growing disaffection with State and Federal governments. It failed, but it opened people's eyes. -
Philadelphia Convention
Occured to address problems in governing the United States of America, which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation following independence from Great Britain. Although the Convention was intended to revise the Articles of Confederation, the intention from the outset of many of its proponents, chief among them James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, was to create a new government rather than fix the existing one. -
Virginia Plan
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 legislature. -
New Jersey Plan
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 -
Whiskey Rebellion
The new United States government imposed on excise tax on whiskey. Slowly, dissent grew, culminating in riots that led to the death of a federal officer. It was the first test of power the new governemnt had. -
The Civil War
The Union against the Confederate States of America and resulted in the death of more than 620,000, with millions more injured. The bitterness and divisions caused by the war still plague America today. Although slavery was ended by the war, racism became stronger afterward. -
Social Security Act
The act was an attempt to limit what was seen as dangers in the modern American life, including old age, poverty, unemployment, and the burdens on widows and fatherless children. By signing this act, President Roosevelt became the first president to advocate federal assistance for the elderly. -
Pearl Harbor
The Japanese bombed the American Naval Base, destroying our fleet and killing thousands, launchnig us into joining World War 2. Without Pearl, it is doubtful the United States would have committed so many resources to the development of the atomic bomb. But when we did, it changed our nation and the world forever. -
9-11
The collapse of the World Trade Center also brought home the uncomfortable realization that some people out there really hate America, and continue to do so. It was a wake-up call and a loss of innocence. For the first time, talk of freedom and the Bill of Rights faded a bit as the government responded to terror threats with non-Constitutional laws
