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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
This manuscript was forced upon the king of England by a group of feudal barons in an attempt to limit the monarch’s power. The Magna Carta required king John to declare that his will was not arbitrary and that the people would hold certain liberties. It was key in forming the rule of constitutional law in England and beyond. -
The Mayflower Compact
Written by the Separatists, the Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. The legal document bounded the Pilgrims together when they arrived in New England. The Mayflower Compact was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. -
The Petition of Right
The Petition of Right set out certain liberties that the King could not infringe upon. Restrictions on non-parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restrictions on martial law were a few of these. Charles was compelled to accept the petition in order to continue receiving subsidies for his policies, but he later ignored its principles. Charles was eventually beheaded for ignoring the document. -
The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
In 1639, a group of Massachusetts Puritans and Congregationalists requested to establish a society that would match their way of living. The land granted to them (Puritans and Congregationalists) by the Massachusetts General Court was called into dispute by the English holders of the Warwick Patent. A man by the name of Roger Ludlow was sent to settle the dispute and later drafted the Fundamental Orders, which were adopted on January 14, 1639. -
The General Fundamental
“The General Fundamentals (of New Plimouth)” were a series of laws that were formulated from 1636 to 1671. The document showed demand for a representative government and individual rights, which some historians believe was one of the earliest documents to do so. In 1685 a book titled, The Book of General Laws of the Inhabitants of the Jurisdiction of New Plimouth, was published. This book reproduced the laws made from 1636 to 1671 and adds laws enacted between 1671 and 1684. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights limits the powers of the monarchy, tells rights of parliament/ freedom of speech in parliament, demands regular elections to parliament, and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. King and queen William and Mary of Orange accepted the Bill as a condition of their rule on December 16, 1689.