Founding Documents of the United States Constitution
Magna Carta
Charter of the Va Co. of London
VA Declaration of Rights
VA Declaration of Religious Freedom
Articles of Confederation
Constitution
Bill of Rights
Ratified in 1791
Written in 1215 after nobles revolted against King John.
Written by English Nobles
Established the "Rule of Law" principle.
Gave Englishmen basic rights and freedoms
Established that everyone had to follow the law, including the King.
Issued in 1606
Charter granted by King James I
Promised the rights of Englishmen to colonists.
Granted permission to start a new colony from the King.
This extended "rule of law" to the colonists, making sure that everyone followed laws.
Written by George Mason
Approved on June 12, 1776
Stated that all Virginians had the right to freedom of religion and press.
Stated that people had rights not given to them by governments such as life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness.
Written in 1779
Written by Thomas Jefferson
Gave Virginians the freedom to have their own religious beliefs.
Said that Virginians could not have their rights taken away because of their beliefs.
Written by John Dickinson
Written in 1777; approved by some states in 1781.
Established a weak Federal government; left most of the power to the states.
The first form of a national government.
Created a "limited government", because the government was given limited power by the people.
Written by James Madison
Signed in 1787
Gave more power to the Federal government and created the structure of the United States government.
Protected the 5 fundamental freedoms of religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly.
Added the principles of "federalism", which divided the government into federal, state, and local, and separation of powers, which divides the federal government into 3 parts. These include the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Written by James Madison
Added the first 10 amendments to the constitution.
Added principles to the constitution such as "due process", a system that someone must go through before their rights are taken away.
Based on ideas from the VA Declaration of Rights and the VA Statute for Religious Freedom.