-
Signed by King John of England, The Magna Carta limited the authority of the king and guaranteed civil liberties. The Constitution was founded on the concept of limited government. -
The House of Burgesses was the first example of a representative government in the New World, specifically the Jamestown Colony of Virginia. It was also an example of a bicameral body, which the Constitution would later incorporate into its own government. -
The Mayflower Compact was the first document to establish sovereignty and self-governing in the New World. It was written by the people and signed by the people. The Constitution was founded on the concept of rule of law and sovereignty. -
The English Bill of Rights was signed by William III and Mary II, and it outlined basic civil liberties and gave Parliament power over the monarchy. The Bill of Rights in the Constitution guarantees similar civil liberties. -
The Albany Plan was an attempt to place the colonies under a centralized government. It was never carried out, but it proposed the idea of the colonies being united under one government. Eventually, the Constitution incorporated this idea as to where the states are individual but united under the federal government. -
The Stamp Act Congress was the first colonial action against Great Britain and was used to protest the Stamp Act. It passed the "Declaration of Rights and Grievances", which protested taxation without representation. This action utilized the social contract theory by challenging Parliament. The Constitution would later be based on the same theory. -
The First Continental Congress was gathered to plan a boycott of British goods. Here, the Continental Army was established. At this convention, the colonies were encouraged to draft new constitutions. They also stated that the Parliament had violated the rights of the colonists, and they responded with protests and boycotts. This is an example of the social contract theory, on which the Constitution was established on. -
Starting in May, the Second Continental Congress met to discuss the American Revolution and further raise the Continental Army. Later on, in July, they would approve of and issue the Declaration of Independence. -
Between 1775 and 1776, Thomas Paine wrote Common Sense. It defended and encouraged independence. It also advocated for a democratic republic. The Constitution established the United States as a democratic republic. -
The Virginia Declaration of Rights proclaimed the right to reform or abolish "inadequate" governments that violated the inherent rights of men. The Constitution was based on protecting the rights of their citizens, just as the Virginia Declaration of Rights did. -
The Declaration of Independence officially separated the colonies from Great Britain. In it, the grievances were listed, and the beliefs of the colonists. In this, they cited the social contract theory as they stated Great Britain had violated their natural rights. This same reasoning would later influence the Constitution, as they wanted to create a government that wouldn't turn into an oppressive monarchy. -
The Articles of Confederation was the first constitution of the United States, and it created a national government. However, the states had more power over the federal, so there was little to no cooperation between governments. As a result, the Constitution was written to give the national government power of the state. -
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom is a document about the separation of church and state. It is considered to be the forerunner of the first amendment protections for religious freedom and tolerance. -
The Constitutional Convention was brought together to discuss the flaws with the Articles of Confederation, such as the weak central government. It was originally meant to revise the Articles, but they eventually decided to start with an entirely new document. At the convention, they decided a strong central government would be more beneficial than a weak one. -
The Federalist Papers were written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. They defended and encouraged the ratification of the United States Constitution. Without these articles, it's likely that it would've taken longer for the Constitution to be ratified and acknowledged by the states.