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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
Constitutional Influences
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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta (which is Latin for The Great Charter) is a document that protected the nobles privileges and authority, or control. The nobles forced King John to sign this agreement. This document granted certain rights to landholders. Eventually those rights came to apply to all english people. The rights includd equal treatment under the law and trials by one's peer. It also limited power of the monarchs, and guaranteed that no could be above the law, not the king or queen. -
Mayflower Compact
The Piligrims reaized they needed rules to govern themselves in order to survive in the new land. So they came up with a certain plan for the goverment. It was a direct democary which was later changed to indirect or representative democary. The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 of the men. -
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
It was the first written Constitution of Connecticut. A number of Pilgrims were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, so they left from Massachesett and colonized in Connecticut. Thats when they made the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. It called the assembly of elected repesentatives and the popluar election of the governor and judges. Each colony had to have a governor and have a legislature. -
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution was when the Parliament removed King James II from the throne and replaced him with his daugther, Mary. When the Parliament did this it showed that the Parliament was even stronger than the king. This was a peaceful transfer of power. This was the time where no ruler would have more power than the Parliament. -
English Bill of Rights
This document further limited the monarch's powers.It guaranteed 3 rights. The 1st right is free election to the Parlianment. The 2nd right is a right to a fair trial. The last right is elimination of cruel and unusual punishment. -
John Locke
He was an English writer who supported the Glorious Revolution. He agrued that people were born free, equal, and independent. He believed people possessed right the no government could take away which are called the natural rights. Those rights are life, liberty, and property. Which later Thomas Jefferson changed to life, liberty, and the purse of happiness. -
Baron de Montesquieu
He was a French writer who developed the idea of the seperation of powers. Which is dividing the branches of government into different parts to balance each oter so that no one part can become to powerful or threaten individual rights. Which became the conerstones of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
He was a french philosopher who wrote the Social Contract, which was published in 1762. He agrued that people alone had the right to decide how they should be governed.
