Events Leading to The Formation of the United States

Events Leading to The Formation of the United States

1. November 20, 1620. The Mayflower Compacts 

The English settlers set a compact of rules that would be used for self-governance. The settlers knew that a world that is not governed by rules would be catastrophic, and therefore they agreed to set a body rules that would control their way of life (History.com Editors).

I chose this event since it was vital in laying the foundation for self-governance, the democracy that the United States enjoys today. It played a significant role in making the colonialists seeking freedom from the British and was also vital in shaping the countries that would eventually become the United States. This was the beginning of the rules that would be set to govern the welfare of the people of the United States, including their bill of rights.  It is through the progressive coding of these rules that helped the residents of America to come up with their own constitution.

2. May 28. 1628 The Petition Right

This was a petition that was sent to the English parliament to King Charles that had several complaints regarding the disrespect of the law. The petition was advocating for four issues: there should be no taxation without consent from the parliament, people should not be imprisoned without cause, solders should not be quartered by colonialists and the abolishment of martial law in peacetime.

I chose this event because it has crucial tenets in regard to the rights enjoyed by citizens in the United States. The Americans asserted that they were eligible to enjoy all the historical guarantees of English liberty. In the declaration of independence, Thomas Johnson noted that the petition for redress was significant complaints against the British king. In 1789, congress incorporated some of the rights that were in the petition in the bill of rights. Furthermore, all the states incorporated some sort of petition in their constitutions.

3. July 10, 1754, Albany Plan of Union

In 1754, there was a meeting of delegates from colonies such as New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Rhodes Island, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. They met in New York, deliberating on how they can form a single state. The most significant force behind the push for the unity was the Pennsylvanian delegate Benjamin Franklin who drew a cartoon of a snake cut into pieces in the Pennsylvania gazette with a title “join or die”. (Albany Plan of Union).

I chose this event because it was the first plan to conceive the unity of the colonies as a whole under the leadership of one government. This was an attempt to create a distinction between the executive and the legislature as distinct branches of government while giving the government the power to handle external relations. It was the first intent of having a united colony that would synergize to deal with the external threats.

4. March 22, 1765, The Stamp Act

This was a new tax that had been imposed on the Americans by the British government that required them to pay taxes for every piece of printed paper. This includes papers such as newspapers, licenses, legal documents, and other publications. The money was to be used by the British forces as they defended the territory along the Appalachian Mountains (History.com Editors).

This event was significant in American history because it was the beginning of the revolutionary war that led to the independence of the United States. Virginia opposed being taxed by a foreign government by asserting that the people can only be taxed by their representatives. This did not go well with the colonizers who went ahead to force taxation, which resulted in a lot of resistance from different parts of the United States. This resistance spilled over and gave birth to the revolutionary war that ultimately resulted in the independence of America.

5. March 24, 1765, The Intolerable Acts

The intolerable act is also called the coercive act. There were different parts of the intolerable act. The parts that were controversial in this treaty were the quartering act, Boston port bill, the Quebec act, Massachusetts government act, and the administration act (History Wiz).

I chose this event because it has a lot of significance in the lives of the residents of the United States as people; it concerned their rights and privileges. The resistance to the act portended that the people of Boston could continue with trade, which was the source of livelihood. It also insinuated that the infringement of the rights of the people would be curtailed through resistance. Moreover, it indicated that the British who committed murder in the colonies would be tried in England, which would make it impractical for witnesses to travel, and hence the British would evade justice. Additionally, it would make it hard to house the British soldiers by the Americans. Therefore, this event was vital in fighting for the rights of the Americans.

6. March 5, 1770, Boston Massacre

This was a riot that occurred in Boston. It began as a street brawl between the American colonist and a British soldier, but it quickly degenerated into a slaughter of human beings.  The British had occupied the city of Boston and had tried so much to enforce the British taxes, which the residents opposed (History.com Editors).

This event was significant as it exacerbated the desire for self-rule among the Americans.  This massacre increased the tension between the Americans and the British who had inhabited the city. It made the American be incensed by the presence of the British people in their town and the unfair taxation they imposed. The Americans continued with their rebellion in Boston for five years, which resulted in the Boston Tea Party conflict, formed the first continental congress, and were able to defend the militia arsenals at concord, which pointed to the beginning of the American revolution.

7. November 29, 1773, Boston Tea Party

This was a political protest that occurred at griffin wharf in Boston. The Americans had been infuriated again by the British imposing taxes on the people without giving them representation. The Americans dumped 342 chess of tea that had been imported by the British India company into the harbor. This sent a strong message to Britain that Americans would not tolerate tyranny at all (History.com Editors).

This event is very crucial in the history of the United States because the United Kingdom resolved to punitive actions as punishment to Massachusetts for the wrong that was done.  For example, the British ended the free election of the state and the constitution. The United Kingdom hoped that this would bring to a need the rebellion that had been staged in Boston.  However, all the other colonies viewed this as evidence of the tyranny of the United Kingdom and offered their support to Massachusetts, something that made the colonies be united in resisting colonial rule.

8. September 5, 1774, First Congressional Meeting

This was an event that brought together all the representatives from all the colonies apart from Georgia to discuss how they would handle the intolerable act. The main objectives of the congress were to come up with written documents of colonists rights, to come up with ways that the British parliament had violated their rights and to map the way forward on how to compel Britain to restore their tights

This event was vital in US history as it helped the colonies to identify the power in unity.   They met to join hands so that they could organize armed resistance to the British rule. It is through this discussion that the first draft of human rights was formulated where they retaliated their allegiance to British sovereignty but expressed their concern over the British rule. The colonies also prohibited the importation of goods from Britain until the coercive acts were repealed. This event was very fundamental in the forging of human rights as well as enhancing unity for the revolutionary war that was imminent.

9. April 19, 1775, The Revolution War Begins

This was the beginning of the war for independence. The people felt that it was their time to resist the bad governance and the corruption of the officials who had been selected as their representative. The colonies joined together in the fight for independence, which was the beginning of the creation of the United States of America (Wallace).

I chose this event because it was very significant in making America what it is today.  The colonies felt that they were not fairly represented in the government, and therefore they saw the need to fight for self-governance. They wanted to ensure that the British government listened to them. The Americans wanted to be represented in the government so that they could push their agenda forward. This event led to the declaration of independence, further uniting the colonies that joined together to fight the Europeans from their territories.

10. November 15, 1777 Articles of Confederation

These were rules that were formulated to define the relationship that would exist between the states. This would pave the way for the establishment of a new government in newfound freedom. It aimed to ensure that the national government was strong for effective governance (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica).

This document was very important as it was the first constitution that was formulated in the United States. It outlined the rights of people and how the states would relate while having one central government. The articles ensured that the states were sovereign to avoid the issues of any government taking advantage of them. These articles were very useful in helping to solve the land disputes that existed among the states. The drafting of the articles was also important in imprinting a sense of nationhood among the residents of the United States. It also paved the way for an experience of self-governance among the states. These articles paved the way for the present constitution and the current form of governance in the United States.

Works Cited

“Albany Plan of Union.” Encyclopedia of the New American Nation, Encyclopedia.com, 29 Nov. 2019, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/albany-plan-union.

History.com Editors. “Boston Massacre.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-massacre#section_5.

History.com Editors. “Boston Tea Party.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/boston-tea-party#section_4.

History.com Editors. “Mayflower Compact.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact#section_6.

History.com Editors. “Stamp Act.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/stamp-act.

HIstoryWiz. “The Intolerable Acts.” The Intolerable Acts – The American Revolution, 2008, https://www.historywiz.com/intolerable.htm.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Articles of Confederation.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 20 June 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Articles-of-Confederation.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Petition of Right.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Aug. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Petition-of-Right-British-history.

Wallace, Willard M. “American Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Nov. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution.

Wallace, Willard M. “American Revolution.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Nov. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Revolution.