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Magna Carta, meaning "Great Charter" in Latin, is a document that King John of England was forced to sign in 1215, limiting the power of the monarchy and establishing the principle that everyone, including the king, is subject to the law. -
Jamestown, established in 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in North America. Located in Virginia, it was founded by the Virginia Company of London, aiming to counter other European nations, find a passage to the Orient, and convert the local Indians to Anglicanism -
The Mayflower Compact was a document signed by 41 adult male passengers on the Mayflower before they disembarked in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. -
A British-issued order that prohibited Anglo-American colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains -
The Proclamation of 1763, issued by King George III, prohibited British colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains. This line was intended to establish British control over newly acquired territories after the French and Indian War and to prevent further conflict with Native Americans. -
The Sugar Act, enacted on April 5, 1764, was a British law that placed taxes on sugar and other goods imported into the American colonies. It aimed to raise revenue to help pay for the cost of defending and protecting the colonies after the Seven Years' War. -
The Stamp Act was a British parliamentary measure passed in March 1765 that imposed a direct tax on the American colonies. -
The Townshend Acts were a series of British laws passed in 1767 that imposed taxes on goods imported into the American colonies. These acts, named after Charles Townshend, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, aimed to raise revenue for the British government and assert greater control over the colonies. The colonists strongly protested these taxes, leading to increased tensions and contributing to the American Revolution. -
The Coercive Acts, also known as the Intolerable Acts by the American colonists, were a series of four laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. -
The Tea Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1773, was not designed to raise revenue, but rather to save the financially struggling East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the tea trade in the American colonies. -
A series of four laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party -
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the thirteen British colonies in America, held in Philadelphia in September and October of 1774
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The Second Continental Congress, convened in Philadelphia in May 1775, played a pivotal role in the American Revolution. It established the Continental Army, appointed George Washington as commander, and ultimately declared the colonies' independence from Britain on July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence.
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An armed uprising in Massachusetts led by farmers protesting high taxes and debt -
The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, is a foundational document of the United States, formally declaring the thirteen American colonies' separation from British rule. -
Served as the first constitution of the United States, establishing a "league of friendship" among the thirteen sovereign states. -
A meeting of delegates from five states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) to discuss issues of interstate trade -
The U.S. Constitution is ratified. -
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was a pivotal event in American history where delegates from 12 of the 13 states (Rhode Island did not attend) convened in Philadelphia to address the inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first governing document -
Washington's election set a critical precedent for the peaceful transfer of power in the new American republic. His leadership and actions during his two terms helped establish the foundations of the presidency and the federal government. -
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects several fundamental freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. -
The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments -
The Ninth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution addresses rights retained by the people that are not specifically listed in the Constitution -
The Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in certain federal civil cases -
It clarifies the balance of power between the federal government and state governments by stating that any powers not specifically delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or the people.