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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was a document written to limit the king's power and to protect the rights of the nobles. The big idea it introduced was Due Process. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was an agreement that identified who was in charge. It created the first type of self-government, and a big idea that was introduced was Rule of Law. -
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was a document created to expand the rights of the Parliament and the people. It also limited the king's power even further. Limited-Government was the big idea. -
John Locke (An Essay Concerning Human Unerstanding)
An Essay Concerning Human Understanding was a book wrote by John Locke. John Locke was a philosopher who believed in many things, such as tabula rasa, natural rights, social contract, and the state of nature. Life, liberty, and property were rights he believed everyone to have. The big idea was Rights. -
Cato's Letters
Cato's Letters where newspaper articles written under the names "Cato the Elder" and "Cato the Younger" that argued under the king's heavy-handed rule. They introduced the big idea of Rights. -
Baron de Montesquieu (The Spirit of the Laws)
The Spirit of the Laws was a book written to explain his ideas of law. Montesquieu had several ideas, some introduced in his book, such as separation of powers an checks and balances. The big idea was Limited-Government. -
Jean Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract)
The Social Contract was a book that Rousseau wrote that described certain ideas he had. His ideas included natural freedom, social freedom, general will, and majority rule. The big idea that goes along with Rousseau's ideas is Rule of Law. -
Common Sense
Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to explain the arguments for independence in a way for everyday colonists to understand. It's big idea was Self-Government.
