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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
On June 15, 1215, in a field at Runnymede, King John affixed his seal to Magna Carta. Confronted by 40 rebellious barons, he consented to their demands in order to avert civil war. Just 10 weeks later, Pope Innocent III nullified the agreement, and England plunged into internal war. -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the kind is prohibited from infringing. The Petition of Right was produced by the English Parlimaent. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights of 1689 was similar to the United States Constitution regarding the first eight amendments. The main purpose of this bill is to grant the people basic human rights for freedom of speech, right to bear arms for defense and be granted the right to a democratic process which would limit the Monarch rule. It made it possible for citizens to voice their opinions without fear of strict punishment for speaking out against the hierarchy. It was the first step in a long process -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. The plan was adopted on July 10, 1754, by representatives from seven of the British North American colonies. Although never carried out, it was the first important plan 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 regulars on March 5, 1770. It was the culmination of tensions in the American colonies that had been growing since Royal troops first appeared in Massachusetts in October 1768 to enforce the heavy tax burden imposed by the Townshend Acts. -
Boston Tea Party
England taxed America. Americans thought it was unfair. Americans dressed up like Indians and dumped all of the tea from England into the harbor. -
First Continental Congress
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Second Continental Congress
On May 10, 1775, what became known as 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. Georgia did not send a delegate until much l -
Declaration of Independence
Jefferson began his work on June 11th of 1776. He wrote numerous drafts on on his final draft he presented it to the committee. -
Articles of Confederation
The Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation the first constitution of the United States. The Articles created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. -
Shay's Rebellion
Shays' Rebellion is the name given to a series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. Although farmers took up arms in states from New Hampshire to South Carolina, the rebellion was most serious in Massachusetts, where bad harvests, economic depression, and high taxes threatened farmers with the loss of their farms. The rebellion took its name from its symbolic leader, Daniel Shays of Massachusetts, a former -
Virgina Plan
On May 29, 1787, Virginia delegate Edmund Randolph proposed what became known as "The Virginia Plan." Written primarily by fellow Virginian James Madison, the plan traced the broad outlines of what would become the U.S. Constitution: a national government consisting of three branches with checks and balances to prevent the abuse of power. In its amended form, this page of Madison's plan shows his ideas for a legislature. It describes 2 houses: one with members elected by the people for 3-year te -
New Jersey Plan
The New JErsey Plan of 1787, also referred to as the 'small sates plan,' was presented on June 15 1787 to the Constitutional Convention. The plan was a request for equal representation of the states. The New Jersey Plan was also an opposition to the virginia Plan, wheich requested representation based on the population of each state. -
Philadelphia Convention
