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594 BCE
The Great Lawmaker Solon
In Ancient Athens, a statesman named Draco was given the task of creating the first set of laws for Athens. However, these were deemed too severe as he really believed in the death sentence. Because of this, the aristocrat Solon was asked to revise and improve these laws. In doing so, Solon established a series of laws that gave the citizens power in the government, thus laying the foundation of democracy. -
1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is one of the most well-known lawmaking documents in English history. In this document, several laws were established and to be recognized by everyone. It established that everyone, including the King, must obey the law. The document also stated that the King could not create new taxes without the consent of the people through Parliament, as well as that every free man had a right to a fair trial with a jury of peers. This ideas were reflected in the US Constitution. -
The Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first form of government established in the New World. It was created because a government and equal laws were needed to create a functioning society. This document is important to the US Constitution because it established the need of a separate government in the New World and made the settlement of the New World official. -
English Petition of Right
The English Petition of Right was a statement of civil liberties. In this document, four main principles were asserted that would later influence the American Revolution and become prominent in the US Constitution. These four principles were that no taxes could be made without Parliament's consent, no one could be imprisoned without a reason, no soldiers could forcibly quarter with citizens, and martial law could not be used during a time of peace. -
The English Bill of Rights
This document is credited as an inspiration to the US Bill of Rights. In this document was a list of misdeeds by the King and 13 articles outlining specific freedoms and laws. Included in these 13 articles was the freedom to elect members of Parliament, freedom of speech in Parliament, no royal interference in the law, freedom to petition the King, freedom to bear arms in self-defense, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and previous existing freedoms established in other documents. -
Declaration of Independence
This is the document that officially declared that the US was separating from Britain. Included in this document is a list of reasons why the US is declaring its independence and the abuses that the English government committed towards the people. It explained that a government should protect the rights of a people. This document was the one that created a need for an official US government. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the US. Created after the Revolutionary War, this document reflected the Americans fear of tyranny, thus creating a government with a weak central government. This constitution did not work as it could not handle the economic stress after the war. -
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were written in attempt to persuade the people towards a new Constitution that allowed for a stronger central government, something that the US learned it needed after the Articles of Confederation. These papers convinced people certain new laws in the Constitution were needed and addressed the issues Anti-Federalists had with the Constitution, allowing for a resolution to be made. -
US Constitution and Bill of Rights
The final step on the path to the Constitution was the ratifying and enforcement of a new Constitution. The final Constitution included a bicameral Congress with different ways of representation in each house. One thing that made the ratifying of the Constitution possible was the creation of the Bill of Rights which ensured the Anti-Federalists that the government would not be able to take away certain rights of the people and would have to protect these rights.
