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1215
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, 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. Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British constitution -
The Petition of Rights
In 1628 the House of Commons drafted this petition proclaiming, among other things, the illegality of taxation without parliamentary consent and of arbitrary imprisonment.is an English constitutional document setting out specific individual protections against the state, reportedly of equal value to Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights -
The English Civil War
The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedom -
Thomas Hobbes's Leviathan
A political treatise written by Hobbes, an English philosopher known for establishing the social contract theory through this text, which legitimises the need for state authority governing the individual in society He argues that war is the natural state of humankind and that only a strong state unified around a great supreme ruler can counterweight chaos. -
The English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was an act signed into law in 1689 by William III and Mary II, who became co-rulers in England after the overthrow of King James II. The bill outlined specific constitutional and civil rights and ultimately gave Parliament power over the monarchy. Many experts regard the English Bill of Rights as the primary law that set the stage for a constitutional monarchy in England. It’s also credited as being an inspiration for the U.S. Bill of Rights. -
Locke's Two treatises of Government
In 1690, Locke, an English philosopher published his Two Treatises of Government.
Locke argued that natural rights such as life, liberty, and property existed in the state of nature and could never be taken away or even voluntarily given up by individuals. These rights were “inalienable”.Less than 100 years after Locke wrote his Two Treatises of Government, Thomas Jefferson used his theory in writing the Declaration of Independence. -
The Declaration of Independence
...it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them...
...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness... to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men... -
The US Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion. It sets rules for due process of law and reserves all powers not delegated to the Federal Government to the people or the States -
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Considered a milestone document in the history of human rights, for its "universalist language", which makes no reference to a particular culture, political system, or religion , the Declaration consists of 30 articles detailing an individual's "basic rights and fundamental freedoms" and affirming their universal character as inherent, inalienable, and applicable to all human beings. It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected.