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1 BCE
John Locke
Contributions and Achievements: John Locke is widely considered to be one of the greatest English philosophers and a leading figure in the fields of epistemology, metaphysics, and political philosophy. He also made crucial contributions to education, theology, medicine, physics, economics, and politics. -
Jan 1, 1199
What is the Magna Carta
Magna Carta, meaning ‘The Great Charter’, is one of the most famous documents in the world. Originally issued by King John of England (r.1199-1216) as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced in 1215, Magna Carta established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law. -
Jan 1, 1214
Why was the Magna Carta created?
In 1214, a mercenary army raised by King John was defeated by the French at the Battle of Bouvines in northern France. This army had been paid largely by the tax known as ‘scutage’, a payment made to the Crown in place of providing knights for military service, and the focus of much baronial discontent.
King John’s reign was also marked by his strained relationship with the Church. John had rejected the election of Stephen Langton (1150-1228) as Archbishop of Canterbury. -
Jan 1, 1215
Why does the Magna Carta matter today?
In 1215 Magna Carta was a peace treaty between the King and the rebel barons. In that respect it was a failure, but it provided a new framework for the relationship between the King and his subjects. The 1225 version of Magna Carta, freely issued by Henry III (r.1216-72) in return for a tax granted to him by the whole kingdom, took this idea further and became the definitive version of the text. Three clauses of the 1225 Magna Carta remain on the statute book today. -
Jan 1, 1215
What does the Magna Carta say?
The third is the most famous: No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.
To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice. -
Jan 1, 1215
What was the long-term effect of Magna Carta?
Magna Carta is sometimes regarded as the foundation of democracy in England. In fact, most of its terms applied only to a small proportion of the population in 1215, and the implementation of the charter in subsequent centuries remained open to the interpretation of the courts.
Revised versions of Magna Carta were issued by King Henry III (in 1216, 1217 and 1225), and the text of the 1225 version was entered onto the statute roll in 1297. -
Jan 1, 1215
What was the long-term effect of Magna Carta
Magna Carta had limited the circumstances under which the King could raise money without the consent of the people. The 1225 version of Magna Carta had been granted explicitly in return for a payment of tax by the whole kingdom, and this paved the way for the first summons of Parliament in 1265, to approve the granting of taxation.
In the 17th century, opponents of King Charles I (1625-49) used Magna Carta to regulate the arbitrary use of royal authority. -
Aug 24, 1215
Was Magna Carta effective in short term?
Although KingJohn agreed the terms of MagnaCarta and the barons renewed their oaths of allegiance, did not last long. John sent messengers to the Pope in the summer of 1215, requesting that the charter be annulled. Pope Innocent III was alarmed by the charter’s terms,and on 24 August 1215 he issued a document known as a papal bull, describing MagnaCarta as ‘illegal unjust harmful to royal rights and shameful to the English people’,declaring the charter ‘null and void of all validity for ever’. -
Thomas Hobbs
4 Apr 1588 Was born in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, England. He was left to a uncle that was rich. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower carried not only the Pilgrims but a few other settlers as well. When it arrived at Cape Cod, several hundred miles north of its planned destination in Virginia owing to storms at sea, the passengers realized they were outside the bounds of the governmental authority they had contracted with in England. -
What does the Mayflower compacts do?
The Mayflower Compact was the first agreement for self-government to be created and enforced in America. On September 16, 1620 the Mayflower, a British ship, with 102 passengers, who called themselves Pilgrims, aboard sailed from Plymouth, England. They were bound for the New World. -
Mayflower compact
November 11, 1620
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower on November 11, 1620, was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States -
What did the petition of rigths say?
The Petition of Right of 1628 is one of England's most famous Constitutional documents. It was written by Parliament as an objection to an overreach of authority by King Charles I. The Petition of Right of 1628 contained four main points:
No taxes could be levied without Parliament's consent
No English subject could be imprisoned without cause - thus reinforcing the right of habeas corpus
No quartering of soldiers in citizens homes
No martial law may be used in peacetime -
Leading up to petition!
Charles I firmly embraced the idea of divine right. Divine right meant that the monarch had been given the right to rule by God and that he didn't have to answer to anyone. Although his foreign policies were also wildly unpopular, he believed he could rule purely by royal prerogative, which meant that the power of the monarch could be used without the consent of the representative government. Therefore, in order to side-step objections by Parliament and gain the funding he desired. -
Leading up to petition!
Anyone who refused to pay or anyone who opposed the policies of Charles I were jailed without cause for undetermined periods of time. This caused an upheaval among the citizens in some regions of England so severe that Charles I declared martial law in those areas. Additionally, to force the citizens to assist with the financing of the military, Charles I quartered soldiers in private homes where he expected them to be fully cared for by the individual families. -
What was the long-term effect of Magna Carta?
Sir Edward Coke, declared that ‘Magna Carta is such a fellow, that he will have no sovereign’, and in 1628 he helped to draft the Petition of Right, which limited royal power and made explicit reference to Magna Carta. When King Charles was himself put on trial in 1649, it was argued that his attempts to halt the proceedings contravened the clause of Magna Carta which prohibited the delay of justice.
Magna Carta has consequently acquired a special status as the cornerstone of English liberties. -
John Locke
ohn Locke FRS was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "Father of Liberalism". Wikipedia
Born: August 29, 1632, Wrington, United Kingdom
Died: October 28, 1704, High Laver, United Kingdom
Influenced: Adam Smith, Mary Astell, Gershom Carmichael, More
Influenced by: Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, Aristotle, Plato -
Mayflower Compact
The compact created a “Civil Body Politic” to enact “just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices.” Every adult male had to sign the agreement before going ashore. The compact remained in effect until Plymouth was incorporated into the short-lived Dominion of New England in 1686 and subsequently absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. -
Virginia Declaration of Rights
The Virginia Declaration of Rights is a document drafted in 1776 to proclaim the inherent rights of men, including the right to reform or abolish "inadequate" government. -
Declaration of rights
A Declaration of Rights made by the representatives of the good people of Virginia, assembled in full and free Convention; which rights do pertain to them, and their posterity, as the basis and foundation of government. -
Article of confederation.
The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States. Stemming from wartime urgency, its progress was slowed by fears of central authority and extensive land claims by states before was it was ratified on March 1, 1781. Under these articles, the states remained sovereign and independent, with Congress serving as the last resort on appeal of disputes. -
Enlgish Bills of Rights!!!!
AMENDMENT I: Freedom of Expression (1791)
AMENDMENT II: Right to Bear Arms (1791)
AMENDMENT III: Quartering of Troops (1791)
AMENDMENT IV: Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
AMENDMENT V: Due Process of Law (1791)
AMENDMENT VI: Right to a Fair Trial (1791)
AMENDMENT VII: Trial by Jury in Civil Cases (1791)
AMENDMENT VIII: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
AMENDMENT IX: Unlisted Rights (1791)
AMENDMENT X: States' Rights (1791) -
Why is the Mayflower Compact important?
The Mayflower Compact was signed on Nov. 11th, 1620. The document was signed on board the Mayflower shortly after it came to anchor off Provincetown Harbor. The document was crafted by the Pilgrims who obtained permission from English authorities to settle in what is now the Hudson River Valley of New York. The Pilgrims intended to settle near the mouth of the Hudson river; however, dangerous weather forced them to make landfall far north of their permitted destination.
