Cromwell

Dynasty.
Stuart
Dynasty.

Stuart

Dynasty.

A. D.

1654. Cromwell, (Oliver).

January 9.

1658. Cromwell, (Richard). September 13.
1660. Charles II. May 29.

Considered as succeeding his father, January 30, 1649, and the regnal years reckoned accordingly.

1660. 12 Car. II, c. 24. Stat. abolishing Tenure in Chivalry, with its oppressive incidents, and all oppressive feudal tenures, retaining only tenure in Socage, and three others. (2 Bl. Com. 77.)

1664. 16 Car. II, c 1. Statute repealing act for triennial parliaments. (2 Hal. Const. Hist. Eng. 244-'5.)

1678. 29 Car. II, c, 3. Statute to prevent Frauds and Perjuries, by requiring certain transactions to be in writing, and in some instances solemnly authenticated besides; embracing especially provisions touching

1. Conveyances of land;

2. Contracts for the sale or lease of lands, and some other contracts. (2 Insts. Com.

& Stat. Law, c. xix.)

3. Wills, especially of lands.

1680. 31 Car. II, c 2. Statutes securing to the subject the benefit of the writ of Habeas Corpus, the statute being known as the "Habeas Corpus Act." (2 Bl. Com. 135 & seq.; Bac. Abr. Habeas Corpus, (B).)

1685. James II. February 6.

Orange and 1689. William and Mary. February 13. 1689. 1 Wm. & Mar. Great Revolution, accomplished by the agency of William, Prince of Orange; whereby James II was virtually expelled, for mis-government, and his daughter Mary, the wife of the Prince of Orange, together with her husband, were invited by the two houses of Parliament, to occupy the vacant throne, upon express conditions, consonant with the ancient liberties of England, as set forth anew in the declaration known as the Bill of Rights. (1 Wm. & M. St. 2, c. 2; 3 Hal. Const. Hist. Eng. 62 & seq.)

Orange

Dynasty.

1692. 3 & 4 Wm. & M. c. 14. Statute of Fraudulent devises, making devisees of lands liable for decedent's debts, nearly as heirs are. (2 Bl. Com. 378.)

1694. 6 Wm. & M. c. 2. Statute establishing triennial parliaments. (1 Bl. Com. 189.)

The regnal years are reckoned from the accession of William and Mary, in 1689.

1695. 7 Wm. III, c. 3. Statute allowing counsel to

A. D.

persons indicted for treason. (4 Bl. Com. Orange
356; Synops. Crim. Law, 245.)

1696. 8 & 9 Wm. III, c. 11. Statute allowing several
breaches of the condition to be assigned in
actions on bonds with collateral condition,
and judgment for the penalty, as at common
law, but to be discharged by the damages
assessed by a jury for the breaches. (Bac.
Abr. Oblig'n, (F).)

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1700. 12 & 13 Wm. III, c. 2. Statute known as the
"Act of Settlement," settling the Crown of
Great Britain, upon the failure of the issue
of the Princess Anne, Mary's sister, (Mary
herself being now dead without issue),
upon the Princess Sophia, of Brunswick, and
the heirs of her body, being Protestants,
with some new provisions for better secur-
ing the religion, laws, and liberties, which
the Statute declares to be "the birthright
of the people of England" (1 Bl. Com.
128; 3 Hal. Const. Hist. Eng. 134 & seq.)
12 & 13 Wm, III, c. 2. Statute (a portion of
the Act of Settlement) changing the tenure
of office of judges from during the King's
pleasure, to during good behavior; but still
leaving their commissions liable to be vaca-
ted by the demise of the crown. (1 Bl. Com.
267-8; 3 Hal. Const. Eng. Law, 135, 142-'3.)
1702. Anne. March 8.
1705. 3 & 4 Anne, c. 9. Statute making promissory
notes, payable unconditionally, to order, or
to bearer, and for a sum certain, assignable
like bills of exchange. (2 Bl. Com. 467.)
1705. 3 & 4 Anne. Statute in Virginia, making es-
tates-tail inalienable, except by act of As-
sembly. (3 Hen. Stat. 320.)

1706. 4 & 5 Anne, c. 16, § 21. Statute declaring all
collateral warranties by any ancestor, who
has no estate of inheritance in possession, to
be void against his heir. (2 Insts. Com. &
Stat. Law, c. xx; 2 Bl. Com. 303.)

1706. 4 & 5 Anne, c. 16, § 12, 13. Statute directing
judgment on money-bonds in a penalty, to
be entered for the penalty, but to be dis-
charged by payment of the principal sum,
with interest (3 Bl. Com. 435.)

1706. 4 & 5 Anne, c. 16, § 4, 5. Statute allowing de-
fendant to an action to plead as many pleas
as may be necessary. (3 Bl. Com. 308.)

1707. 5 Anne, c. 8. Statute consummating the Union
with Scotland. (1 Bl. Com. 95.)

1714. George I. August 1. 1714. 1 Geo. I, c. 38.

Statute making the existing

Dynasty.

Stuart
Dynasty.

Brunswick
Dynasty.

A. D.

Brunswick
Dynasty.

Parliament (elected under the triennial Act) to last for seven years! Providing also in general for Septennial Parliaments. (1 Bl. Com. 189; 3 Hal. Const. Hist. Eng. 171 & seq.)

1727. George II. June 11.

1734. 7 Geo. II. Statute in Virginia making estatestail alienable by deed simply, without an act of Assembly, provided they were ascertained by judicial inquiry, to be of less value than £200 sterling, &c. (4 Hen. Stats. 400.) 1747. 20 Geo. II, c. 30. Statute allowing counsel in Parliamentary impeachments for treason. (4 Bl. Com. 356; Synops. Crim. Law, 245.) 1752. 24 Geo. II, c. 23. Statute changing "the style," and correcting the Julian Calendar, after the manner of Pope Gregory XIII, in 1582. (2 Insts. Com. & Stat. Law, c. ix.)

1760. George III. October 25.

1760. 1 Geo. III, c. 23. Statute making tenure of office of Judges to be during good behavior, and to continue notwithstanding the demise of the frown. (1 Bl. Com. 268.)

1765. 5 Geo. III, c. Statute imposing stampduties on American Colonies.

1766. 6 Geo. III, c. 12. Statute repealing the stampduties, but reserving the power to tax. (1 Bl. Com. 109.)

1767. 7 Geo. III, c. Statute attempting the internal taxation of the colonies, by duties on glass,

paper, tea, &c.

1770. 10 Geo. III, c. Statute abolishing the duties on the American colonies, except on tea 1773. 13 Geo. III. Destruction of cargoes of tea belonging to the East India Company, in the harbor of Boston.

1774. 14 Geo. III. Assembling of the first Continental Congress at Philadelphia, September 5. 1776. 16 Geo. III. June 29. Declaration of Independence by Virginia.

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16 Geo. III. July 4. Declaration of the inde-
pendence of the Colonies by Congress.
October 7. Estates tail in Virginia, converted
by act of Assembly into estates in fee simple.
(9 Hen. Stats. 226; V. C. 1873, c. 112, § 9;
2 Insts. Com. & Stat. Law, c. vii.)
October. Commission, consisting of Thomas
Jefferson and others, to revise the laws of
Virginia. (2 Insts. Com. & Stat. Law, c.
xiv.)

1778. Slave trade abolished by Virginia, near thirty
years before any other Government in the
world. (9 Hen. Stats. 471.)

A. D.

1779. June 18. Committee on revisal of laws re- Brunswick
Dynasty.
ported, but report not fully acted on until
1785. (2 Insts. Com. & Stat. Law, c. xiv.)
Articles of Confederation ratified by
Maryland, the last of the States to assent to
them.

1781. March 1.

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May. Pelatiah Webster's pamphlet urging in-
sufficiency of existing articles of Confedera-
tion.

October 19. Capitulation of Cornwallis at York-
town, in Virginia, virtually ending the war.
1783. September 3. Independence of United States
acknowledged by Great Britain, and treaty
of peace and of boundary negotiated at Paris.
1784. A conviction becoming general that a revisal of
the Articles of Confederation was indispens-
able, and the formation of a Government,
instead of a Confederation.

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1786. January 21. A convention recommended by
Virginia to take into consideration the trade
of the United States, and the commercial
regulations necessary for the common in-
terest. (5 Ell. Debs. 113 & seq.)
September 11. Assembly of convention of dele-
gates from Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, and New York, at Annapolis,
Md. It confined itself to recommending a
convention of delegates from all the States,
to meet at Philadelphia, in May, 1787, "to
devise such further provisions as shall appear
to them to be necessary to render the con-
stitution of the Federal Government ade-
quate to the exigencies of the Union." (5
Ell. Deb. 115-'16.)

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1787. November 23 Virginia complies with the re-
commendation, and appoints delegates, the
other States following the example, except
Rhode Island, which never sent any.
January 1. Statute in Virginia takes effect
(enacted October, 1785), abolishing the com-
mon law of Descents, and substituting a
wholly new system. (12 Hen. Stats. 138;
2 Insts. Com. & Stat. Law, c. xiv.)
January 1. Statute in Virginia takes effect,
dispensing with "heirs," or any other spe-
cific word of inheritance, in order to create
an estate of inheritamce. (2 Insts. Com. &
Stat Law, c. vii; V. C. 1873, c. 112, § 8.)
May 14
Day appointed for the assembling of
the convention to "devise such further pro
visions as shall appear to be necessary to
render the Constitution of the Federal Gov-
ernment adequate to the exigencies of the

A. D.

Brunswick
Dynasty.

Union." But seven States (a majority of the thirteen) were not assembled until May 25. 1787. May 25. Convention was organized by electing General Washington president, delegates being present from Massachusetts, New "York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Delegates appeared from Connecticut and Maryland May 28, and from New Hampshire July 23.

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September 17. Convention completed the work
of the Federal Constitution, and reported
the same to the Congress of the Confed-
eration.
September 28.

Congress of Confederation ordered the Constitution to be transmitted "to the several Legislatures, in order to be submitted to a convention of delegates chosen in each State by the people thereof, in conformity to the resolves of the Convention." (1 Stor. Const. § 277.)

1788. September 13. Eleven out of the twelve States which took part in the formation of the Constitution having ratified it by their conventions (North Carolina dissenting), the Congress of the Confederation appoints first Wednesday in January, 1789, for the choice of electors of president; the first Wednesday of February, 1789, for the assembling of the electors to vote for a president; and the first Wednesday in March, 1789, at the then seat of Congress (New York), as the time and place for commencing proceedings under the Constitution. (1 Stor. Const, § 278.) 1789. March 4. Day appointed for the organization of the new government; but so doubtful was the experiment deemed that no quorum of the two houses convened until April 6. April 6. A quorum of the two houses of Congress was at length assembled, when the votes for president being counted, it was found that General George Washington was unanimously elected president.

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April 30. General Washington was sworn into office, and the government of the United States then went into full operation, in all its departments.

September 24. Judiciary act passed, establish ing the judicial department of the United States government (substantially as at present).

November 21.

North Carolina ratified the Constitution of the United States.