-
Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
Is a charter agreed by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. The purpose was to limit the power of the king.
Big Idea: Limited government -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, signed by 41 English colonists on the ship Mayflower on November 11, 1620, was the first written framework of government established. The pilgrims said they needed a set of rules and that they would follow them.
Big idea: self-government -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights is an English precursor of the Constitution, along with the Magna Carta and the Petition of Right. The English Bill of Rights limited the power of the English sovereign, and was written as an act of Parliament. It also expanded the rights of the people.
Big idea: Rights -
John Locke
he was born 29 August 1632 and he died on 28 October 1704 (aged 72). He imagined a set of natural rights (life, liberty, and property).
Big idea: Rights -
Cato's Letters
Cato's Letters were essays by British writers John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, first published from 1720 to 1723 under the pseudonym of Cato, the implacable foe of Julius Caesar and a famously stubborn champion of republican principles. They argued against the kings heavy-handed rule. It also discussed freedom of expression.
Big idea: limited government -
Baron de Montesquieu
He wa born on January 18, 1689, La Brède, France and died on February 10, 1755, Paris, France. He divided the government so one person can't take control.
Big idea: Limited government -
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
He wrote the book "The Social Contract," in 1762. He believed that the best form of government was a democracy.
Big idea: Self-government -
Common Sense
Common Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine in 1775–76 that inspired people in the Thirteen Colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain in the summer of 1776. It explained the arguments for independence in a way that was easy for everyday colonists to understand.
Big idea: Self-government
