Rights of Englishmen

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The Rights of Englishmen is a term that refers to the rights granted English subjects in the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and other foundational documents which Patriots in the Thirteen Colonies felt were violated, and subsequently became justification for the American Revolution.

1 Development
2 History
3 See also
4 Sources
5 External links

[edit] Development

The "rights of Englishmen" had been established slowly over centuries of English history. They were certain basic rights that all subjects of the English monarch - king or queen - were believed to have.

The founders of America began their lives as loyal subjects of the British Crown, having equal rights with citzens of England. Centuries of respect gave these rights a special status. They included:

The right to trial by jury, jury by peers
Security in one's home from unlawful entry
No taxation without representation
Regular discussion
No cruel and unusual punishments
The right to rebel

[edit] History

The historical sources of these rights are custom and law. They were confirmed by royal charters and became part of the English common law. The common law consists of the accumulated legal opinions of judges explaining their decisions in specific court cases. These decisions provide guidelines or precedents for the later judgments. The English common law provides the historical foundation of the American legal system.^{[citation needed]}