-
1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta 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 settled
Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It served as a starting point for important explorations of the Chesapeake region. -
Mayflower Compact written
The Mayflower Compact was the first agreement for self-government to be created and enforced in America -
Petition of Right
The Petition of Right was 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. It sets out specific liberties of the subject that the King is prohibited from infringing. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was an act that the Parliament of England passed to create separation of powers, limit the powers of the King and Queen, enhance the Democratic election, and bolster freedom of speech. -
Albany Plan of Union
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to create a unified government for the 13 colonies, suggested by Benjamin Franklin, then a senior leader and a delegate from Pennsylvania. -
Stamp Act
The Stamp Act was an act passed by British Parliament that forced American colonists to pay a tax on every piece of printed paper they used. -
American Revolution begins
The American Revolution was a conflict that arose from growing tensions of Great Britain's 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a prerevolutionary incident where British soldiers, who were quartered in the city, fired into a rioting mob, killing five American civilians. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston tea party was when Samuel Adams and the Sons of Liberty boarded three ships in the Boston harbor and threw 342 chests of tea overboard. This resulted in the passage of the punitive Coercive Acts in 1774 and pushed the two sides closer to war. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was where representatives from 12 of the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia. They gathered to discuss their response to the British "Intolerable Acts." -
Intolerable Acts
The Intolerable Acts were harsh laws passed by the British Parliament to punish the American colonists for the Boston Tea Party and other protests. -
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress succeeded the First Continental Congress. It managed the colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the US Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. -
Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and adopted by the Second Continental Congress. It states the reasons the British colonies of North America sought independence. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. -
Shays Rebellion
Shays Rebellion was an uprising led by former militia officer Daniel Shays which broke out in western Massachusetts in 1786. It was a series of protests by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgements for debt. -
Philadelphia (Constitutional) Convention
The Constitutional Convention was where delegates from five states called for the Constitutional Convention in order to discuss possible improvements for the Articles of Confederation. -
Connecticut Compromise
The Connecticut Compromise called for proportional representation in the house and one representative per state in the senate.
