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Stefan Bozman
Who- James Madison
What- Changing the legislative branch into a bicameral legislature, meaning each state is represented due to its contribution (States with bigger populations are more represented).
When- May, 1787
Where- Philadelphia
Why- So that bigger states had more say than the smaller states.
http://edu.lva.virginia.gov/online_classroom/shaping_the_constitution/doc/virginia_plan

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http://www.history.com/topics/john-locke

His political thoughts of government were to protect “life, liberty and estate”. It was deeply influenced the United States’ founding documents.

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Audrey Broyles
Who: John Locke
What: Two Treatise Of Goverenment
When: 1690
Where: England
Why: It was written to sketch out the theory of political and civil society that is based on the natural rights.

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High taxes forced farmers to struggle with their farms.

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Brett Letterman

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This goes with The Great Compromise

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Brett Letterman https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/georgewashington

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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Brett Letterman

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Emily Peebles

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Brett Letterman

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Emily Peebles https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/madison-james

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https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/thomasjefferson

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Biography, Education, Philosophy, Achievements, Beliefs, Social Contract, & Facts

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Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Swiss-born philosopher, writer, and political theorist whose treatises and novels inspired the leaders of the French Revolution and the Romantic generation. Although he was the least academic of modern philosophers, he was also in many ways the most influential.

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What Is the Great Compromise of 1787?

The 1780s proved to be volatile years in United States history. The Articles of Confederation, the original United States governing document ratified in 1781, had provided an inadequate governmental structure. The economy, which plummeted following the Anglo-American Revolution, was struggling to rebound. Additionally, citizens were divided due to contentious politics. In 1787, delegates came together at the Constitutional Convention to address national reform. The resolution of this debate became known as the Great Compromise of 1787 and resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution.

A Struggling Union

The Articles of Confederation desperately lacked the necessary power to maintain a strong Union. The Articles could not regulate trade, draft soldiers, or levy taxes. It could not solve the polarizing issue of slavery in the Northwest Territory, and it failed to pay off the nation's accumulated war debt.

Debt became an enormous issue within the United States. Since transactions were limited with the British following the war, many individuals struggled to generate enough money to pay for consumer goods as well as taxes. Farmers, for example, sold the majority of their livestock, crops, and land, and hoped that their respective state legislatures would render assistance. Unfortunately, the state was not able to provide any type of social welfare. Many individuals were forced into foreclosures.

This did not set well with one man: Daniel Shays. Shays, a farmer and former captain in the Continental Army, organized a mixed group of protesters to assault a federal arsenal located in Springfield, Massachusetts. Eventually, the operation, known historically as Shays' Rebellion, was suppressed by a volunteer militia. However, the event persuaded many leaders within the Union that it was time to adopt a stronger system of government.

Leaders Converge

In 1785, Alexander Hamilton, a prominent New York attorney, called upon the states to convene in order to address the limitations of the Articles of Confederation. Virginian James Madison responded with support. He asked the states to send delegates to a conference in Annapolis, Maryland, to simply discuss the commercial implications of the Articles. Much to the disappointment of Hamilton and Madison, only delegates from five states attended. Yet, the small conference approved a plan in which the states would send representatives to a convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

Beginning in May, 55 delegates from 12 states (Rhode Island was absent) congregated in Philadelphia to address the need for reform. The Constitutional Convention began when Madison and Edmund Randolf, governor of Virginia, opened with a proposed system of national government titled the Virginia Plan. This plan called for a legislative, executive, and judicial branch. These three branches would serve under a bicameral (two-house) legislature. The lower house would be elected by the population, while representatives in the upper house would be elected by members of the lower house.

Small states quickly rejected the Virginia Plan on the basis that, at any time, there may not be any representatives from small states in the upper house. Therefore, William Paterson of New Jersey countered with the New Jersey Plan. This concept called for a similar government but with a unicameral (one-house) legislature, popular elections, and equal representation for each state. Delegates from larger states quickly rejected the New Jersey Plan.

Negotiating an Agreement

Even though members of the convention wholeheartedly rejected each other's proposed plans, a period of reflection led to a negotiation on the future of the United States government. Proponents of the Virginia Plan realized certain allowances had to be made for the smaller states. Conversely, the smaller states came to the same realization about allowances for the larger states.

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the great compromise of 1787: definition & explanation - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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The Great Compromise of 1787: Definition & Explanation - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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The 1780s proved to be volatile years in United States history. The Articles of Confederation, the original United States governing document ratified in 1781, had provided an inadequate governmental structure. The economy, which plummeted following the Anglo-American Revolution, was struggling to rebound. Additionally, citizens were divided due to contentious politics.

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Jadan Adams

Who: French and England
What: French and England fought for the land and fur trade.
When: 1754-1763
Where: Ohio, Virginia and Massachusetts
Why: This influenced the Revolutionary War and Treaty of Paris.

http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war

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http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/AmericanIdeal/aspects/demrep.html

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Who Was Baron de Montesquieu?

Baron de Montesquieu was a French political analyst who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He is best known for his thoughts on the separation of powers.

History

Born Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu, Montesquieu was born in France in January, 1689, and died in February 1755. His mother and father both had noble histories, and his mother had a large monetary fortune. After the death of his mother when he was seven years old, he was sent to study at the Catholic College of Juilly, an important school for noble French children. While in school, his father died and he was placed in the guardianship of his uncle, the Baron de Montesquieu. He attended law school, graduated, and began working as an attorney.

Montesquieu married Jeanne de Lartigue in 1715, and they eventually had one son and two daughters. In 1716, his uncle died, leaving Montesquieu his title of Baron de Montesquieu. The uncle also left Montesquieu the uncle's job as President a Mortier, a type of judgeship in the Bordeaux Parliament, and his fortune.

During Montesquieu's time in Parliament, he heard criminal proceedings and supervised prisons. He also began studying governments and laws around the world. In that era, offices, such as this judgeship, could be bought and sold or inherited. In 1721, Montesquieu sold his office so that he could concentrate on writing.

Writing & Societal Impact

In 1721, he published Persian Letters. Persian was a satire, which is a text that uses sarcasm to convey its message, playing on the ridiculousness of society from the point of view of a visitor in Paris. In 1734, he published Considerations on the Causes of the Grandeur and Decadence of the Romans, and then in 1748, he published what is considered his most important work, The Spirit of the Laws.

In Spirit, Montesquieu analyzed the French government and the spirit behind French laws. Montesquieu wrote that French society was divided into the 'trias politica': the monarchy, the aristocracy and the commons. He stated that two types of government existed: the sovereign and the administrative. He believed that the administrative powers were divided into the executive, the judicial and the legislative. His writings detailed that the three powers should at once be separate from one another and dependent upon one another. In that way, Montesquieu believed, no power should become stronger than another. This is what is called in modern times the separation of powers. This was a radical theory because it essentially eliminated the feudalistic structure.

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accomplishments & facts - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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Baron De Montesquieu: Ideas, Accomplishments & Facts - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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Baron de Montesquieu was a French political analyst who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He is best known for his thoughts on the separation of powers. Born Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu, Montesquieu was born in France in January, 1689, and died in February 1755.

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American colonists have been taxed by Parliament with duties associated with trade or commerce before, but The Stamp Act is different. While it might seem to be a small tax for the gentry, for the less wealthy it is a burden that has a significant effect. Virginia is a credit economy in which middling folks often use the courts to collect debt. The Stamp Act promises to add to those costs. The Stamp Act sets a troubling precedent for a legal system driven by precedent, the colonists feel they are no longer in control of their own legislation-a right granted them as Englishmen. Nobody could know it then, but coordinated resistance against the Act will set in motion actions that will eventually lead to Revolution.

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American colonists have been taxed by Parliament with duties associated with trade or commerce before, but The Stamp Act is different. While it might seem to be a small tax for the gentry, for the less wealthy it is a burden that has a significant effect.

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By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence. By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists were able to confirm an official alliance with the Government of France and obtain French assistance in the war against Great Britain.

Throughout the 1760s and early 1770s, the North American colonists found themselves increasingly at odds with British imperial policies regarding taxation and frontier policy. When repeated protests failed to influence British policies, and instead resulted in the closing of the port of Boston and the declaration of martial law in Massachusetts, the colonial governments sent delegates to a Continental Congress to coordinate a colonial boycott of British goods. When fighting broke out between American colonists and British forces in Massachusetts, the Continental Congress worked with local groups, originally intended to enforce the boycott, to coordinate resistance against the British. British officials throughout the colonies increasingly found their authority challenged by informal local governments, although loyalist sentiment remained strong in some areas.

Despite these changes, colonial leaders hoped to reconcile with the British Government, and all but the most radical members of Congress were unwilling to declare independence. However, in late 1775, Benjamin Franklin, then a member of the Secret Committee of Correspondence, hinted to French agents and other European sympathizers that the colonies were increasingly leaning towards seeking independence. While perhaps true, Franklin also hoped to convince the French to supply the colonists with aid. Independence would be necessary, however, before French officials would consider the possibility of an alliance.

Throughout the winter of 1775-1776, the members of the Continental Congress came to view reconciliation with Britain as unlikely, and independence the only course of action available to them. When on December 22, 1775, the British Parliament prohibited trade with the colonies, Congress responded in April of 1776 by opening colonial ports-this was a major step towards severing ties with Britain. The colonists were aided by the January publication of Thomas Paine's pamphlet Common Sense, which advocated the colonies' independence and was widely distributed throughout the colonies. By February of 1776, colonial leaders were discussing the possibility of forming foreign alliances and began to draft the Model Treaty that would serve as a basis for the 1778 alliance with France. Leaders for the cause of independence wanted to make certain that they had sufficient congressional support before they would bring the issue to the vote. On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee introduced a motion in Congress to declare independence. Other members of Congress were amenable but thought some colonies not quite ready. However, Congress did form a committee to draft a declaration of independence and assigned this duty to Thomas Jefferson.

Benjamin Franklin and John Adams reviewed Jefferson's draft. They preserved its original form, but struck passages likely to meet with controversy or skepticism, most notably passages blaming King George III for the transatlantic slave trade and those blaming the British people rather than their government. The committee presented the final draft before Congress on June 28, 1776, and Congress adopted the final text of the Declaration of Independence on July 4.

The British Government did its best to dismiss the Declaration as a trivial document issued by disgruntled colonists. British officials commissioned propagandists to highlight the declaration's flaws and to rebut the colonists' complaints. The Declaration divided British domestic opposition, as some American sympathizers thought the Declaration had gone too far, but in British-ruled Ireland it had many supporters.

The Declaration's most important diplomatic effect was to allow for recognition of the United States by friendly foreign governments. The Sultan of Morocco mentioned American ships in a consular document in 1777, but Congress had to wait until the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France for a formal recognition of U.S. independence. The Netherlands acknowledged U.S. independence in 1782. Although Spain joined the war against Great Britain in 1779, it did not recognize U.S. independence until the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Under the terms of the treaty, which ended the War of the American Revolution, Great Britain officially acknowledged the United States as a sovereign and independent nation.

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Milestones: 1776-1783 - Office of the Historian

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What is Magna Carta. Why was it created? What does it say, and why has it become one of the most celebrated documents in history?

Narrated by Monty Python's Terry Jones, this animation takes you back in time to medieval England in 1215 under the reign of Bad King John. Why was the charter originally created? And what does it actually say?

What is Magna Carta?

Magna Carta, meaning 'The Great Charter', is one of the most famous documents in the world. Originally issued by King John of England (r.1199-1216) as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215, Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law. Although nearly a third of the text was deleted or substantially rewritten within ten years, and almost all the clauses have been repealed in modern times, Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British constitution.

Most of the 63 clauses granted by King John dealt with specific grievances relating to his rule. However, buried within them were a number of fundamental values that both challenged the autocracy of the king and proved highly adaptable in future centuries. Most famously, the 39th clause gave all 'free men' the right to justice and a fair trial. Some of Magna Carta's core principles are echoed in the United States Bill of Rights (1791) and in many other constitutional documents around the world, as well as in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the European Convention on Human Rights (1950).

Usage terms: Public Domain in most countries other than the UK

Why does Magna Carta matter today?

In 1215 Magna Carta was a peace treaty between the King and the rebel barons. In that respect it was a failure, but it provided a new framework for the relationship between the King and his subjects. The 1225 version of Magna Carta, freely issued by Henry III (r.1216-72) in return for a tax granted to him by the whole kingdom, took this idea further and became the definitive version of the text. Three clauses of the 1225 Magna Carta remain on the statute book today. Although most of the clauses of Magna Carta have now been repealed, the many divergent uses that have been made of it since the Middle Ages have shaped its meaning in the modern era, and it has become a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power.

Usage terms: Public Domain in most countries other than the UK

What does Magna Carta say?

Although Magna Carta contained 63 clauses when it was first granted, only three of those clauses remain part of English law. One defends the liberties and rights of the English Church, another confirms the liberties and customs of London and other towns, but the third is the most famous:

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.

This clause gave all free men the right to justice and a fair trial. However, 'free men' comprised only a small proportion of the population in medieval England. The majority of the people were unfree peasants known as 'villeins', who could seek justice only through the courts of their own lords.

Buried deep in Magna Carta, this clause was given no particular prominence in 1215, but its intrinsic adaptability has allowed succeeding generations to reinterpret it for their own purposes. In the 14th century Parliament saw it as guaranteeing trial by jury; in the 17th century Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634) interpreted it as a declaration of individual liberty in his conflict with the early Stuart kings; and it has echoes in the American Bill of Rights (1791) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948).

Much of the remainder of Magna Carta dealt with specific grievances regarding the ownership of land, the regulation of the justice system, and medieval taxes with no modern equivalent (such as 'scutage' and 'socage'). It demanded the removal of fish weirs from the Thames, the Medway and throughout England; the dismissal of several royal servants; the standardisation of various weights and measures; and so on.

Magna Carta stated that no taxes could be demanded without the 'general consent of the realm', meaning the leading barons and churchmen. It re-established privileges which had been lost, and it linked fines to the severity of the offence so as not to threaten an individual's livelihood. It also confirmed that a widow could not be forced to remarry against her wishes.

Why was Magna Carta created?

In 1214, a mercenary army raised by King John was defeated by the French at the Battle of Bouvines in northern France. This army had been paid largely by the tax known as 'scutage', a payment made to the Crown in place of providing knights for military service, and the focus of much baronial discontent.

King John's reign was also marked by his strained relationship with the Church. John had rejected the election of Stephen Langton (1150-1228) as Archbishop of Canterbury, and in 1208 the Pope issued a decree (known as an 'Interdict'), prohibiting people in England from receiving the sacraments or being buried in consecrated ground. King John was excommunicated by Pope Innocent III (1161-1216) in 1209, and the Interdict remained in place until John surrendered his kingdom to the overlordship of the Pope in 1213.

In 1213, a party of rebel barons met with Archbishop Stephen Langton and the papal legate (a representative of the Pope) to air their grievances against the King. They also urged that John should agree to confirm the coronation charter issued by his ancestor, King Henry I, in 1100, which had promised 'to abolish all the evil customs by which the kingdom of England has been unjustly oppressed'. In early 1215, the dispute escalated when King John refused to meet the barons' demands. In May many barons renounced their oaths of allegiance to him, choosing Robert fitz Walter (1162-1235) as their leader. Their capture of the city of London that same month was a turning point in their campaign.

Once London was in the barons' hands, John had no option but to negotiate with them. The two sides met at Runnymede, on the River Thames near Windsor in the south of England, in June 1215. The demands of the barons were recorded in the document known as the Articles of the Barons. Following further discussions with the barons and clerics led by Archbishop Langton, King John granted the Charter of Liberties, subsequently known as Magna Carta, at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. On 19 June the rebel barons made their formal peace with King John and renewed their oaths of allegiance to him.

The King's clerks set about drawing up copies of the agreement for distribution throughout the kingdom. It is not certain how many copies of the 1215 Magna Carta were originally issued, but four copies still survive: one in Lincoln Cathedral; one in Salisbury Cathedral; and two at the British Library. Like other medieval royal charters, Magna Carta was authenticated with the Great Seal, not by the signature of the king.

Usage terms: Public Domain in most countries other than the UK

Was Magna Carta effective in the short term?

Although King John agreed the terms of Magna Carta and the barons renewed their oaths of allegiance, the settlement did not last long. Aggrieved by the manner in which Magna Carta was to be enforced, John sent messengers to the Pope (the overlord of the kingdoms of England and Ireland) in the summer of 1215, requesting that the charter be annulled. In turn, the barons refused to surrender the city of London to the King until Magna Carta had been implemented. Pope Innocent III was alarmed by the charter's terms, and on 24 August 1215 he issued a document known as a papal bull, describing Magna Carta as 'illegal, unjust, harmful to royal rights and shameful to the English people', and declaring the charter 'null and void of all validity for ever'.

In September 1215, civil war broke out between King John and his barons. The King raised an army of mercenaries to fight his cause, while the barons renounced their allegiance to him, and invited Prince Louis (1187-1226), son of the King of France, to accept the English crown. Louis invaded England in 1216, and England was still at war when John died of dysentery on the night of 18 October 1216.

Magna Carta was effectively dead, but it gained new life in the early years of the reign of the next king, Henry III. Henry was just nine years old when he succeeded to the throne, and in November 1216 a revised version of Magna Carta was issued in his name, in order to regain the support of the barons. Another version of Magna Carta was granted in the following year, after the French army had been expelled from England. In 1225, on reaching the age of 18, Henry reissued a much revised version of Magna Carta which was later enrolled on the statute book by King Edward I (r.1272-1307) in 1297.

Usage terms: Public Domain in most countries other than the UK

What was the long-term impact of Magna Carta?

Magna Carta is sometimes regarded as the foundation of democracy in England. In fact, most of its terms applied only to a small proportion of the population in 1215, and the implementation of the charter in subsequent centuries remained open to the interpretation of the courts.

Revised versions of Magna Carta were issued by King Henry III (in 1216, 1217 and 1225), and the text of the 1225 version was entered onto the statute roll in 1297. Magna Carta had limited the circumstances under which the King could raise money without the consent of the people. The 1225 version of Magna Carta had been granted explicitly in return for a payment of tax by the whole kingdom, and this paved the way for the first summons of Parliament in 1265, to approve the granting of taxation.

In the 17th century, opponents of King Charles I (1625-49) used Magna Carta to regulate the arbitrary use of royal authority. Sir Edward Coke, declared that 'Magna Carta is such a fellow, that he will have no sovereign', and in 1628 he helped to draft the Petition of Right, which limited royal power and made explicit reference to Magna Carta. When King Charles was himself put on trial in 1649, it was argued that his attempts to halt the proceedings contravened the clause of Magna Carta which prohibited the delay of justice.

Magna Carta has consequently acquired a special status as the cornerstone of English liberties. This is despite the fact that the vast majority of its clauses have now been repealed, or in some cases superseded by other legislation such as the Human Rights Act (1998). Magna Carta nonetheless retains enormous symbolic power as an ancient defence against arbitrary and tyrannical rulers, and as a guarantor of individual liberties.

Claire Breay is Head of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts at the British Library. She is co-curator of the Library's major exhibition Magna Carta: Law Liberty, Legacy (13 March-1 September 2015) and editor of the exhibition catalogue.

Julian Harrison is Lead Curator of Medieval Historical Manuscripts at the British Library, and lead curator of the Harry Potter exhibition. He also co-curated the Library's major exhibition Magna Carta: Law Liberty, Legacy (2015) and the Our Shakespeare exhibition at the Library of Birmingham (2016).

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What is Magna Carta. Why was it created? What does it say, and why has it become one of the most celebrated documents in history? Narrated by Monty Python's Terry Jones, this animation takes you back in time to medieval England in 1215 under the reign of Bad King John.

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Full text of Thomas Paine's --Common Sense--

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Scott Young
Who-Roger Sherman
What- Deciding the number of representatives per state.
When- 1787
Where- Connecticut
Why- To stop the squabble of how many people they should be represented by between states.
http://study.com/academy/lesson/the-great-compromise-of-1787-definition-explanation-quiz.html

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Brett Letterman
Who: Americas first president.
What: Washington was also commander in chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
When: Took the oath of office April 30th, 1789.
Where:From Westmoreland County, VA. Took the oath of office in New York.
Why: The United States needed a president so they elected him.

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Lidia Antal
Who: The British government
What:The government required the colonist to pay a new tax on British goods.
When: The Stamp Act was passes March 22, 1765.
Where: America
Why: To raise money to pay for protecting the American frontier.
https://www.history.org/history/teaching/tchcrsta.cfm

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Caitlyn Obregon
Who: Adult males on the ship
What: The document that contained the first laws and established our government.
When: November, 1620
Where: Virginia
Why: It was a base for our government and the laws.

https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact

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Katyn Fischer
Who: Founding fathers and Madison
What: first ten amendments that were added to the Constitution
When: ratified by states 1791
Where: The new Americans
Why: Each amendment started due to the controversy around the ratification of the Constitution.

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Who? Hobbes was an English philosopher
What? He was mostly known for his political philosophy, especially for his masterpiece, "Leviathan" which he made in 1651
When?He was born on April 5, 1588; and died on December 4, 1679; he wrote his most important piece of work in 1651
Where?He was born in Westport, Wiltshire;spent most of his career life in Paris, France; and later died in the UK
Why?Hobbes wrote his influential piece of art to express the fear he encountered during the political turmoil of the English Civil Wars

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Kati Bryan
Who: James Wilson and Roger Sherman came up with the idea.
What: A proposal that all slaves will only count as 3/5 of a person when it comes to taxes and seats in the House.
When: 1787
Where: United States delegate meeting.
Why: Southern delegates and Northern delegates could not agree on how to count slaves for population.  http://constitution.laws.com/three-fifths-compromise

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Jeffrey Lewis
Who: Thomas Paine
What: Pamphlet written in 1776 to advocate independence of the 13 colonies from Great Britain.
When: January 10, 1776
Where: United States.
Why: To advocate independence of the 13 colonies from Great Britain.
Website: http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/

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Rhiannon Mitchell
Who: influential Enlightenment philosopher, writer, & political theorist.
What: his writings influenced many leaders, including those in the French Revolution.
When: 1712-1778
Where: France/Switzerland
Why: grew up in poverty & was taken under the wing of Mme de Warens, who influenced him greatly.
Additional Info:https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Jacques-Rousseau

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Kelly Ruda
Who:Baron de Montesquieu
What: influenced constitution; separated executive, legislative, & judicial branches; checks and balances; was an advocate for religious freedom
Where: England
When: 1748
Why: believed these things were important and wanted to help establish them in government
http://study.com/academy/lesson/baron-de-montesquieu-ideas-accomplishments-facts.html

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Abby Ingram
Who: 3rd U.S president.
What: Author of The Decloration
When: 1800's
Where: Washington D.C
Why: To establish rights among the people.

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Raven Reid
Who: Rich Nobles
What: Basic rights, life, liberty, and property
When: June 15, 1215
Where: Runnymede
Why: Protection from the kings actions
Link:http://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/articles/magna-carta-an-introduction

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Summer Tapprich

Who: Daniel Shays and many other American Farmers.
What: Rebellion against state and local law enforcement.
When: !786-87
Where: Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
Why: High taxes made farmers struggle with their farms.

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Zoe Holmes

Who-

King of Great Britain & Ireland

Georgian Era

What-

Longest reigning monarch before Queen Victoria

Remembered for the loss of the American Colonies

When-

1760-1820

Where-

Britain and Ireland

Why-

King George III was already in line to be king

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England's longest-ruling monarch before Queen Victoria, King George III (1738-1820) ascended the British throne in 1760. During his 59-year reign, he pushed through a British victory in the Seven Years' War, led England's successful resistance to Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and presided over the loss of the American Revolution. After suffering intermittent bouts of acute mental illness, he spent his last decade in a fog of insanity and blindness.

George III: Birth and Education

The Georgian era (1714-1830) spanned the combined reigns of the five British monarchs from the Electorate of Hanover, a member state of the Holy Roman Empire. George III was the first Hanoverian king born in England rather than Germany. His parents were Frederick, Prince of Wales, and Augusta of Saxe-Gotha.

Did you know? The planet Uranus was originally named "Georgium sidus," the Georgian Star, after King George III of England, who had funded the 40-foot telescope William Herschel used in its discovery.

On his father's death in 1751, the 12-year-old George became Prince of Wales. He was cared for in relative isolation by his mother and tutored by the Scottish nobleman Lord Bute.

George III: Early Reign

George III became king of Great Britain and Ireland in 1760 following his grandfather George II's death. In his accession speech to Parliament, the 22-year-old monarch played down his Hanoverian connections. "Born and educated in this country," he said, "I glory in the name of Britain."

A year after his coronation, George was married to Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the daughter of a German duke. It was a political union-the two met for the first time on their wedding day-but a fruitful one; Queen Charlotte gave birth to 15 children.

George III worked for an expedited end to the The Seven Years' War (1756-63), taking a position that forced his influential war minister William Pitt the Elder (who wanted to broaden the conflict) to resign in 1761. The next year George appointed Lord Bute as his prime minister, the first in a quick succession of five ineffective ministers.

In 1764 Prime Minister George Grenville introduced the Stamp Act as a way of raising revenue in the American colonies. The act was fervently opposed in America, especially by the pamphleteers whose paper would be taxed. Parliament would repeal the act two years later, but mistrust persisted in the colonies.

George III: The American Revolution

In 1770 Lord North became prime minister, beginning a 12-year period of parliamentary stability. In 1773 he passed an act taxing tea in the colonies. The Americans complained of taxation without representation (and staged the Boston Tea Party), but North held firm with George's backing.

The American Revolution began on April 19, 1775, with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The next year, the Declaration of Independence laid out the Americans' case for freedom, portraying George III as an inflexible tyrant who had squandered his right to govern the colonies. In reality the situation was more complex: Parliamentary ministers, not the crown, were responsible for colonial policies, though George still had means of direct and indirect influence.

The king was reluctant to come to terms with his army's defeat in the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. He drafted an abdication speech but in the end decided to defer to Parliament's peace negotiations. The 1783 Treaty of Paris recognized the United States and ceded Florida to Spain.

George III: Mental Illness

At the end of 1783, Lord North's coalition was forced out by William Pitt the Younger, who would be prime minister for more than 17 years. In 1778 George lapsed into a months-long period of violent insanity. He was restrained with a straitjacket and suffered various treatments as crisis of rule unfolded around him. He recovered the next year and reigned for the next 12 as a newly beloved monarch and symbol of stability in the era of France's revolutionary chaos. George's support of England's role in the French Revolutionary Wars of the late 1790s offered early resistance against the Napoleonic juggernaut.

George suffered a second major bout of insanity in 1804 and recovered, but in 1810 he slipped into his final illness. A year later his son, the future George IV, became prince regent, giving him effective rule for the War of 1812 and Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. George III died blind, deaf and mad on January 29, 1820. His illnesses may have been caused by porphyria, an inherited metabolic disorder, though a 2005 analysis of hair samples suggested arsenic poisoning (from medicines and cosmetics) as a possible cause. He is buried in St. George's Chapel.

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During his 59-year reign, King George III led Britain to victory in the Seven Years' War, successfully resisted Revolutionary and Napoleonic France, and presided over the loss of the American Revolution. He spent his last decade in a fog of insanity and blindness.

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Emily Peebles
Who: James Madison
What: Secretary of State; appointed by Thomas Jefferson. Most famous for his "Virginia Plan"; this served as the foundation for the U. S. Constitution.
When: 1788
Where: Philadelphia
Why: Madison believed strongly in his foreign polices, and wanted to then help the U. S. economy get bigger.

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Gracee Rogers
Who: writers include Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, John Adams, and Robert R. Livingston
What: 13 American colonies declaring their independence from Great Britain
When: July 4, 1776
Where: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
why: To gain independence away from the rule of Great Britain https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/declaration

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Devin McCullough
Who-Greece and Rome
What-Created government run by the people
When-Ancient Era
Where- USA and UK
Why- Created our type of government. "Democratic-Republic