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Period: Jan 1, 1200 to
Constitutional Influences
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Jun 15, 1215
The Magna Carta
In 1215, the nobles rebelled agains King John. They forced the king to sign an agreement called the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta protected the nobles' privileges. It granted certain rights to all landholders and equal treatment. The Magna Carta also limited the monarch's power by guaranteeing that no one would have more power than the law, not even the king or queen. -
The Mayflower Compact
In 1620, the Pilgrims arived in America. They built a settlement called Plymouth. The Plymouth colonists realized they needed rules to govern themselves if they were to survive in the new land. They made up a plan called The Mayflower Compact which 41 men aboard signed. -
Fundemental Orders of Connecticut
In 1639, a number of Pilgrims were being persecuted for their reigious beliefs. They moved from Massachusetts and colonized in an area that is now Connecticut. There, they developed America's first written constitution, called The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.The document called for an assembly of elected representatives from each town to make laws. It also called for the popular election of a governor and judges. -
Glorius Revolution
The Glorioius Revolution was supported by John Locke. It was the overthrow of King James II. It also possessed rights, called natural rights, to life, liberty, and property that no government coud take away. -
English Bill of Rights
Parliment made the English Bill of Rights in 1689. This document restricted the monarch's power. It also guaranteed free elections to Parliment, the right to fair trial, and the elimination of cruel and unusual punishments. -
John Locke
John Locke was an English writer who supported the Glorius Revolution. He argued that people were born free, equal, and independent. They also possessed rignts, called natural rights, to life, liberty, and property that no government could take away. -
Baron de Montesquieu
Baron de Montesquieu was a French writer. He developed the idea, called The Seperation of Powers, about dividing the branches of government into different parts to balence each other so that no part can become stronger and threaten individual rights. -
Jean-Jacques Rosseau
Jean-Jacques Rosseau was a French philosoper. He wrote in The Social Contract that "man is born free, yet everywhere he is found in chains." Rosseau also argued that the people alone had the right to determine how they should be goverened.
