Lesson 2 of 11
Documents that limited kings — and the one that cut the colonies loose.
English nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta. It did not create democracy, but it said even the king had to follow the law. It also planted ideas like trial by jury and limits on unfair taxes and imprisonment.
American colonists later pointed at Magna Carta when they said Parliament could not treat them as if they had no rights.
Remember: Magna Carta = rule of law. Even the king is under the law.
After another fight with the monarchy, Parliament passed the English Bill of Rights. It limited the king’s power, protected free speech in Parliament, required consent for taxes, and banned cruel and unusual punishment.
You can hear echoes in the U.S. Bill of Rights, especially the 8th Amendment and the idea that representatives control taxing and spending.
In 1620 the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact before they left the ship. They agreed to make “just and equal laws” for the good of the colony. It is an early example of self-government and a written social contract in America.
Over time, colonies built their own assemblies. They got used to taxing themselves and writing local laws. That habit made “no taxation without representation” feel obvious to them.
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense (1776) argued in plain language that a huge continent should not be ruled by a small island and a king. It pushed ordinary people toward independence.
The Declaration of Independence, mainly written by Jefferson and adopted July 4, 1776, does three jobs: it states natural rights, it lists complaints (grievances) against King George III, and it announces that the colonies are free and independent states.
Important grievances include taxing without consent, quartering soldiers, denying trial by jury, and cutting off colonial trade. The list is evidence that the king broke the social contract.
Remember: Declaration = philosophy + list of abuses + announcement of independence. It is not a plan of government.