istoryworld
Events relating to democracy
The revolutionary convention of Virginia votes for independence from Britain, and instructs its delegates in Philadelphia to propose this motion
Virginia's motion for independence from Britain is passed at the Continental Congress of the colonies with no opposing vote
Thomas Jefferson's text for the Declaration of Independence is accepted by the Congress in Philadelphia
John Hancock is the first delegate to sign the Declaration of Independence, formally written out on a large sheet of parchment
The US Congress agrees the final version of the Articles of Confederation, defining the terms on which states join the Union
Delegates meeting in Philadelphia agree a final draft for a US consitution, to be submitted to the states for ratification
The constitution of the United States is ratified by the states, but it is immediately agreed that amendments will be desirable
The ministers of Louis XVI reluctantly announce that the estates general will meet in 1789, for the first time since 1614
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified by the states
The first political parties, Hamilton's Federalists and Jefferson's Republicans, emerge in the USA
In Venice Napoleon deposes the last of the doges and sets up a provisional democracy
Republican Thomas Jefferson and Federalist Aaron Burr have an identical number of Electoral College votes in the US presidential election
The Spanish Cortes in Cadiz produces a strikingly liberal new constitution for Spain
Bolívar defeats the Spanish at Carabobo and liberates, for the second time, his native city of Caracas
After defeating the Spanish at Pichincha, Antonio José de Sucre enters Quito and liberates Ecuador
The Republican party in the USA splits into National Republicans and Democratic Republicans
Conservative 'bigwigs' and liberal 'novices' emerge as Chile's two main political parties
Irish nationalist Daniel O'Connell wins a sensational by-election victory to join the Westminster parliament
Adult white males now have the vote in almost all the states of the USA
Andrew Jackson, elected president of the USA, introduces the era known as Jacksonian democracy
Old Sarum, the most notorious of Britain's rotten boroughs, has just seven voters but returns two members to parliament
The Tories in Britain adopt a reassuring name for an uncertain future – Conservatives
The opponents of US president Andrew Jackson, mockingly called King Andrew, become known as the Whig party
Alexis de Tocqueville publishes in French the first two volumes of his extremely influential study Democracy in America
The Whig party in Britain begin referring to themselves as Liberals
