The Petition Of Right

the claim to the Crown, and he believed that individuals held the right to revolt against a

Though term was yet to be coined, these rights give birth to the "American Dream." The bulk of The Declaration is specific in making complaints to and about King George the III. All the complaints are in violation of some basic right or another. The Declaration of Independence in essence says to England, "we are free men, and potentially a great nation, we will not be restricted and bound by your unjust and inhumane laws any longer."

The Influence of English law on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Bill of Rights

The petition was originally created by the First Continental Congress to resist any further conflict between Britain and the 13 Colonies. The petition was earliest written by Benjamin Franklin and then Thomas Jefferson, but the language Jefferson used would only enrage the King, so when The Second Continental Congress took up the Petition, John Dickenson rewrote it. Congress passed the sending of the Petition to King George the Third and three days later the petition reached the kings presence. The king would have passed the petition if it weren’t for a letter being confiscated that John Adams wrote to a friend proclaiming his disapproval of the Olive Branch Petition and how the yearning for peace was not authentic. King George the Third received both the petition and the letter and denied the petition. He then proclaimed that the colonies were on a rebellious spree. Even though the petition was opposed, it still played a major part in the years to come for the Colonies to propel in the attempts at American Independence. It became the foundation of the beginning of the Revolutionary War and is the reason that we call ourselves Independent. Not only did it lead to the Revolutionary War, but it also inspired the idea of The Declaration of

England 's introduction of the intolerable acts upon American colonists created a ripple effect which they did not anticipate, which completely changed the views of many colonists. These colonists went on to become the voices that fueled the American Revolutionary War and spread the messages of liberty, freedom, and a new way of life. Some voices stood out more so than the rest, their names became etched in our history books their thoughts and beliefs paving the way for the Revolution. One such colonist is James Otis wrote a series of patriotic pamphlets outlining his views on the colonies state of affairs , one of those pamphlets is The Rights of British Colonies Asserted and Proved written in 1763. In The Rights of British Colonies Asserted and Proved James Otis outlines his perspectives on government 's rights and the rights of the people , these perspectives revolutionized colonial opinions and made famous the quote” no taxation without representation.”

The British practiced a policy of salutary neglect, where the colonists were free to do whatever they pleased. Following the unbelievable acts and taxes established by Parliament, colonists felt betrayed by the British government. Many colonists thought it was unfair to be oppressed by taxes without representation in Parliament. Despite many attempts to negotiate with the King of England, no agreement was accomplished. According to Thomas Jefferson in the “Declaration of Independence,” he stated, “In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms; Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.” (Doc. 7). The colonists felt they were being ruled by a tyrant. As a result, The Continental Congress convened and Thomas Jefferson wrote “The Declaration of Independence” on July 4, 1776. In this declaration, Jefferson stated, “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpation [unlawful seizures], all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” (Doc. 7). Nevertheless, Jefferson was not the only colonist to feel as if the king was a tyrant. One day later, the Second Continental Congress gathered and the “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms” was presented. This document was

Therefore, the king/queen only had to answer to God, not the people. Since the ruler was chosen by God it was considered axiomatic that the monarch has absolute power, after all God has great power so His earthly representative does as well (Document 7, James I of England 1609). Furthermore, because God chose the sovereign, disobeying the king was considered the same as disobeying God (Document 4, The Ideal State 1697 by Jean Domat). Of course, because the monarchs had such great power and were God’s chosen people they had to govern per God’s will, which was absolute justice. (Document 5, On Social Order and Absolute Monarchy by Jean Domat). As important this concept was in maintaining absolute monarchs, the reason that the Divine Right to Rule was so effective is because absolute monarchies primarily occurred in Catholic countries, where the monarch could gain the partnership of the Roman Catholic Church and thus win power over the

The complaint that the 1st Continental Congress is making is that the acts of parliament are infringing and violating upon the rights of the colonists.

“Give me liberty or give me death!” This statement from Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention,” delivered to the House of Burgesses, has been quoted by many, becoming almost cliché. However, the declaration is truly understood by a select few. The unjust Stamp Act passed by the British crown in 1765, brought fame and notoriety to Henry as he spoke out against the unjust taxation without representation. Ten years later on the eve of revolution, Henry calls upon the Colonial government of which he is part, to act for the betterment of the people. Patrick Henry attempts to persuade the House of Burgesses to revolt and declare war against Britain by logically convincing them that it is their natural right to be free and calling on

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with

What actions led Parliament force Charles I to accept the Petition of Right? How would Charles I have attempted to defend himself and his actions? What freedoms did the Petition guarantee?-disputes between Parliament and King Charles I over the execution of the Thirty Years’ War, Parliament refused to grant subsidies to support the war effort, leading to Charles gathering "forced loans" without Parliamentary approval and arbitrarily imprisoning those who refused to pay. The Petition guaranteed restrictions on non-Parliamentary taxation, forced billeting of soldiers, imprisonment without cause, and restricts the use of martial law.

The book “Common Sense” written by Thomas Paine in 1776, and the Declaration of Independence were both documents written to address our Colonial disputes with England. Common Sense examines how Americans defended the right to resist unjust laws, and how this right of resistance was transformed into a right of revolution. It examines Thomas Paine’s views on the difference between society and government. The Declaration of Independence has great significance to the colonial population because it justified our right to revolt against a government that no longer guaranteed us our natural rights. The Declaration of Independence also helped us to get increased foreign assistance from France in our fight to become free from England. With this information

The year 1776 ignited the colonial rebellion from Great Britain, with colonists from the newly formed United States demanding their individual and colony’s rights. They advocated for representation, their individual rights, and the issue of sovereignty. With the ratification of the Bill of Rights in 1791, individual rights overall were thought to be “protected” in the newly liberated Unites States. Yet the continued limiting of women’s rights, treatment of the mentally handicapped and emancipated slaves, the individual liberties colonists believed they would gain from Britain was only for certain individuals, not all. The colonists believed that they would advance their individual rights and freedoms with their independence from Britain; though the reality was that the struggles of individual liberties continued throughout the next 100 years in different classes of citizens despite their gaining of independence from Britain.

France’s, The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, played an integral role in the development of democracy and the pursuit of liberty throughout Europe. This document was written and introduced by General Lafayette as a result of the French Revolution. The French Constituent Assembly passed it in August of 1789. Influenced by Thomas Jefferson, the American Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution, and the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers, the document reiterates the values of the French Revolution. Declaring that the rights of man should be universal and remain valid no matter the time or place. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was a very purposeful document expressing many of the ideas of the French Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.

Many English monarchs believed in the divine right to rule. This right was given to them by God, therefore they believed that no one could take their crown or it would destroy the rightful line of succession. However, this was not always the case and some kings such as Richard II had their crown forced from them. If a king believed in the divine right he often had a close relationship with God. In William Shakespeare’s comedies, the divine right to rule a kingdom is present in the ways in which Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V are come to rule England. Both Richard II and Henry V were powerful rulers, whose ruling was heavily dictated by their divine right to rule and their relationship with God. Through exploring the King’s relationship to God in Shakespeare’s tragedies Richard II, 1 Henry IV, 2 Henry IV, and Henry V, one can see that Henry V is the ideal Christian King.