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510 BCE
Ancient Greece
The first area to influence our American democracy was the people of Ancient Greece. In Athens, their government required participation of the people. They also established an "Assembly" which were a body of citizens that made decisions and voted on issues that affected everyone. -
150 BCE
Ancient Roman Empire (150 CE)
The beginnings of a representative government was seen in the Roman Empire. Rome was originally ruled by Kings but in it's height it eventually changed into a form of democracy in 150 CE. -
Jan 10, 689
John Locke (689 CE)
In 689 CE, a man by the name of John Locke published a book about the natural rights held by every human being. His ideas helped to form the way we think about individual rights today. -
Jan 10, 1100
Iroquois (1100 CE)
Around 1100 CE a group of Native Americans formed an alliance to work together towards a common goal of checks and balances. This was a part of the Founding Fathers federal system -
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
For a very long time laws had been applied but not to kings or governments. So in 1215, the English wrote the Magna Carta and added a very important section that the kind had to follow the "law of the land". -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights is one of England's most famous constitutional documents. The Parliament wrote it as an objection to an over reach of King Charles I authority. This was a major push on their Civil Rights. -
Montesquieu (exact day unknown)
In 1748, a French thinker named Montesquieu wrote a power that must be divided in government to prevent one part from becoming too powerful. Thus, becoming part of our checks and balances today. -
Thomas Paine
In the year of 1776 a man named Thomas Paine created a book called "common sense". It was the first pamphlet to ever talk about American Independence. Thus, influencing our democracy today. -
English Bill of Rights
In order to protect all individuals they created a Bill of Rights and attached it to the end of the Constitution.