Essay On English Bill Of Rights

“We the people…” are the first three words from the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Behind this document lies the importance of government, and the rights that all American citizens are granted with. The Framers or the Founding Fathers of the United States framed their country by constructing a framework, the Constitution, for its people. The Constitution permits freedom of religion, speech, and et cetera, and gives protection against unreasonable and unconstitutional government actions. In return, citizens must carry out their duties by following the established laws. Without the existence of the Constitution, the United States would be under a tyranny, instead of a democracy. Democracy allows citizens to voice out their ideas, thoughts,

The English Bill of Rights derived from Great Britain, and was passed by Parliament in 1689; due to James II’s unjustifiable actions to “subvert and extirpate the Protestant religion and the laws and liberties of this kingdom”, the English Bill of Rights was established to declare rights to citizens of Great Britain, and allow William and Mary to reign (“Bill of Rights 1689”). Correspondingly, the English Bill of Rights is in enact today just like the U.S. Constitution. Thereupon, some key points from the English Bill of Rights were transcribed into Constitution. The English Bill of Rights asserted, “That the freedom of speech…not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament” and “That it is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all commitments and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal”, and these statements help crafted the First Amendment of the American Bill of Rights (“Bill of Rights 1689”). Amendment I of the Bill of Rights allows American citizens to have “the freedom of speech…and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Both, the American and English versions of the Bill of Rights transformed the lives of