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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
A charter greed to by King John of England on the 15th of June 1215. Drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to make peace between the King and a group of rebels. The Magna Carta promised protection of church rights, protection for the rebels from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitation on feudal payments to the crown. -
Thomas Hobbes
English philosopher best known for his political vision. Mainly concerned with social and political order, his vision of the world is still relevant to contemporary politics. 1588 - 1679 -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonists on the Mayflower on November 11, 1620, was the first written framework of government established in what is now the United States. -
Petition of Rights
The Petition of Rights, passed on the 7th of June 1628, is a major English constitutional document that sets out specific liberties of the subject that the king is prohibited from infringing. -
John Locke
Among the most famous philosophers and political theorists of 17th century. Often regarded as the founder of British Empiricism, and made foundational contributions to modern theories of limited, liberal government. -
Enlightenment
European politics, philosophy, science and communications were radically reoriented during the course of the Enlightenment, 1685 - 1815. This movement produced numerous books, essays, inventions, scientific discoveries, laws, wars and revolutions. The American and French Revolutions were directly inspired by Enlightenment ideals and respectively marked the peak of its influence and beginning of its decline. The Enlightenment ultimately gave way to 19th-century Romanticism. -
English Bill of Rights
On February 17th, 1688 the English Bill of Rights was presented to Prince William and Princess Mary and the bill declared the rights and liberties of the subject and settled the succession of the crown. -
Montesquieu
A French lawyer, man of letters, and political philosopher who lived during the Age of Enlightenment. He is famous for his articulation of the theory of separation of powers, which is implemented in many constitutions throughout the world. -
Rousseau
Was a Francophone Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer of the 18th century. His political philosophy influenced the Enlightenment in France and across Europe, as well s aspects of the French Revolution and the overall development of modern political and educational thought. -
The Great Awakening
The Great Awakening, or First Great Awakening, was an evangelical and revitalization movement that swept Protestant Europe and British America, especially the American colonies, in the 1730s and 1740s, leaving a permanent impact on American Protestantism. -
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies that met on September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. -
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. -
Second Continental Congress
Followed the First Continental Congress, and managed the colonial war effort, and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. -
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, the first Constitution of the United States, were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777. The Articles, however, were not ratified by all 13 states until 1781 -
Shays Rebellion
The name given to a series of protests in 1786 and 1787 by American farmers against state and local enforcement of tax collections and judgments for debt. The rebellion got its name from its symbolic leader, Daniel Shays of Massachusetts, former captain in the Continental army. -
End of the Enlightenment
The Enlightenment eventually gave way to the rising popularity of 19th-century romanticism.
