Gov

Colonial Timeline

  • Jun 15, 1215

    Magna Carta

    Magna Carta
    Magna Carta, which means 'The Great Charter', is one of the most important documents in history as it established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial.
  • Jamestown settlement

    Jamestown settlement
    In 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived in North America to start a settlement. On May 13 they picked Jamestown, Virginia for their settlement, which was named after their King, James I. The settlement became the first permanent English settlement in North America
  • Mayflower Compact Written

    Mayflower Compact Written
    The Mayflower Compact expressed four main ideals (Cline 2003): It expressed the deep faith and belief in God and His divine guidance, which was held so dear to the Pilgrim Fathers. It expressed deep loyalty to native England and to the King, regardless of his actions to persecute and exile the Pilgrims.
  • Petition of Right

    Petition of Right
    The Petition of Right of 1628 is one of England's most famous Constitutional documents. It was written by Parliament as an objection to an overreach of authority by King Charles I. During his reign, English citizens saw this overreach of authority as a major infringement on their civil rights.
  • English Bill of Right

    English Bill of Right
    The English Bill of Rights is an act that the Parliament of England passed on December 16, 1689. The Bill creates separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech.
  • Albany Plan of Union

    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.
  • Stamp Act

    Stamp Act
    The Stamp Act was passed by the British Parliament on March 22, 1765. The new tax was imposed on all American colonists and required them to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. Ship's papers, legal documents, licenses, newspapers, other publications, and even playing cards were taxed.
  • Boston Massacre

    Boston Massacre
    The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated to a chaotic, bloody slaughter. The conflict energized anti-British sentiment and paved the way for the American Revolution.
  • The Boston Tea Party

    The Boston Tea Party
    The Boston Tea Party happened in 3 British ships in the Boston Harbor. The Boston Tea Party took place because the colonists did not want to have to pay taxes on the British tea. They were afraid that Britian would take over America, and they wanted to rule their own country. They boarded the ships and threw the chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution.
  • The First Continental Congress

    The First Continental Congress
    The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, the act was created to punish the colonists for their resistance in following new tax regulations created by the British government. The first continental congress was enacted to ensure that the government in united states help the British empire to instate the punishment.
  • Intolerable Acts

    Intolerable Acts
    The Intolerable Acts were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea Party. The laws were meant to punish the Massachusetts colonists for their defiance in the Tea Party protest in reaction to changes in taxation by the British to the detriment of colonial goods.
  • American Revolution Begins

    American Revolution Begins
    In April 1775 British soldiers, called lobsterbacks because of their red coats, and minutemen—the colonists' militia—exchanged gunfire at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. Described as "the shot heard round the world," it signaled the start of the American Revolution and led to the creation of a new nation.
  • The Second Continental Congress

    The Second Continental Congress
    The Second Continental Congress was the governing body of the American colonies from 1775 to 1781. It was founded when the British failed to address the grievances of the First Continental Congress and to organize a Continental Army to fight. It became the government for the colonies at that point. They appointed ambassadors, signed treaties, print money, and request money from the states cause they had no power to tax, which worked during the war cause there was a war but failed after.
  • Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence
    The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. It was an official act taken by all 13 American colonies in declaring independence from British rule. ... The war between the colonies and Great Britain was called the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783).
  • Shay's Rebellion

    Shay's Rebellion
    Shays' Rebellion began in 1786 as organized protests by farmers in western Massachusetts against the debt and tax collection practices of the state's government. ... The farmers had been plagued by excessive property taxes leading to farm foreclosures or even imprisonment.
  • Philadelphia Convention

    Philadelphia Convention
    The Constitutional Convention took place from May 14 to September 17, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The point of the event was decide how America was going to be governed.Although the Convention had been officially called to revise the existing Articles of Confederation, many delegates had much bigger plans.
  • The Connecticut Compromise

    The Connecticut Compromise
    The Connecticut Compromise was an agreement made in 1787. It was also known as the Constitutional Convention or 3/5 Compromise. The larger states that had a bigger population wanted representation based on population, meaning they thought they should get a bigger say so in political elections.