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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Barons were threatening a civil war if the King did not agree to certain demands. Barons wanted the king to be held subject to law, to be granted free election to church offices, the Barons chose 25 representatives to help ensure their rights and freedoms. This took some power away from the King and gave it to the people.
www.britannica.com/topic/Magna-Carta -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther: 95 Thesis
The thesis was also called “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences”. This was a list of questions and ideas to be debated. The central idea of this writing was that money should not be able to buy ones salvation. This writing was later the foundation of the Protestant Reformation.
www.history.com/topics/Martin-Luther-and-the-95-thesis -
Mayflower Compact
Temporary set of laws for ruling themselves as per majority agreement. It was four basic rules for the colony to help maintain order and unity. It was a successful early attempt at democracy.
www.history.com/topics/mayflower-Compact -
Committees of Correspondence
On the eve of the American Revolution committees were developed to spread information of the “Patriot cause” through a diplomatic means such as town meetings.
www.bostonteapartyship.com/committees-of-correspondence -
Adam Smith: The Wealth of Nations
The general idea of his books was growth of capital helps all become richer. Countries should make what they are best at and trade products freely. Government should tax in proportion to people’s income and this money should be used to maintain justice, enforce laws, educate, and public works. The government should not interfere with trade or business.
https://www.adamsmith.org/the-wealth-of-nations/ -
Federalist Papers
85 letters written to newspapers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay to help convince all 13 colonies to approve the constitution by educating the public on the impacts the constitution would have.
www.history.com/topics/federalist-papers -
Mary Wollstonecraft
She was a author and equal rights activists. She grew up with an abusive father and witnessed the effects it had on her mother. She spent her life advocating for equality of sex’s and felt education was the key to this. She was well respected even among male authors.
www.historyguide.org/intellect/Wollstonecraft -
Sojourn Truth: Ain’t I a Woman
Sojourn spoke at a Woman’s Right Convention. Her speech would later be titled Ain’t I a Woman in which she simply and matter a factly responds to there reasons as to why women should not be viewed as equal with men. The quote that I found the most moving is “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!” http://sojournertruthmemorial.org/sojourner-truth/her-words/ -
Eve Sedgwick
English professor and author specializing in the area of gender studies, lesbian and gay studies, queer theory, and critical theory. She was a key factor in the establishment of Amherst’s department of women’s and gender studies in 1987. Just prior to this the college had been a male only school. She continued to working in this area at Duke University and CUNY.
www.evekosofskysedgwick.net/biography/biography -
Judith Butler
Developed and published several books on her theory of gender and sexuality. She taught at several well known universities such as Johns Hopkins and University of California, Berkeley.