Origins of the Constitution

Passed in 1215, it granted due process of law, trial by jury, and limited the powers of the king on laws and taxes.

• Magna Carta

• Ancient Greece

• Toleration Act

• Parliament

Passed in 1689, it said that the king's power was limited and it increased Parliament's power. The king no longer had a standing army, it abolished cruel and unusual punishment, and it ensured free, fair elections.

• Magna Carta

• The English Bill of Rights

• Ancient Rome

• Enlightenment

Signed in 1620, the Pilgrims agreed to form a self-governing body with just and equal laws. It was the first government in the British colonies.

• Magna Carta

• Toleration Act

• Mayflower Compact

• Parliament

Passed in 1628, it rejected the idea of absolute monarchy by divine right. It established basic rights, such as no illegal imprisonment, no quartering of soldiers, etc.

• Petition of Rights

• Iroquois Confederacty

• Enlightenment

• Parliament

Passed in 1649, it granted freedom of religion to all Christians, including Catholics.

• Parliament

• Magna Carta

• Enlightenment

• Toleration Act

Passed in 1786, this established the separation of church and state and guaranteed freedom of religion to all religions.

• Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom

• Iroquois Confederacy

• Parliament

• Magna Carta

This legislative body, formed in 1258, was composed of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and limited the power of the King.

• Enlightenment

• Ancient Greece

• Parliament

• Toleration Act

This colony was the first to grant freedom of religion to all colonists regardless of their religion.

• Virginia

• Rhode Island

• New York

• Michigan

This philosopher stated that a government's main purpose is to protect the rights of the people and that people have the right to rebel against their governments and establish new governments if their rights are not protected.

• John Locke

• Baron de Montesquieu

• Hobbes

• Rousseau

A philosophical movement that swept across Europe in the 1700s that stressed science and reason over faith and religion.

• Ancient Greece

• Parliament

• Enlightenment

• Iroquois Conferacty