Charters - Years 1606, 1609, 1612
-Guaranteed the rights of Englishmen to the
Colonies
- Each charter gave colonists more freedom to rule
themselves and more land
- Created by King James 1 for the Virginia
Company
VA Declaration of Rights -1776
- Served as a model for the Bill of Rights of the
U.S. Constitution (Bill of Rights)
- George Mason drafted- based on English Bill of
Rights
VA Statute of Religious Freedom- 1786
- Stated freedom of religious beliefs and opinions
- Colonists were free to worship and support
church of their choice
- Free exercise and establishment clauses
- Written by Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence- 1776
- Stated grievances against the king of Great Britain
- Declared the colonies independence from Great
Britain
- Affirmed “certain unalienable rights” (life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness)
- Established the idea that all people are equal under
the law
- Written by Thomas Jefferson
Articles of Confederation- 1781
- Established the first form of national government for
the independent states
- Maintained that major powers resided with the
individual states
- Created a weak central government(no power to tax
or enforce laws), which led to the writing of the
Constitution
Bill of Rights- 1791
- First 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
- Written by James Madison
The Constitution- 1788
- Established the structure of government in the US
- Guaranteed equality under the law with majority rule
and the rights of the minority protected
- Affirmed individual worth and dignity of all people
- Protected the fundamental freedoms of religion,
speech, press, assembly, and petition
- The first part/introduction is called the Preamble