Roots of US government
From Conservapedia
The present United States government was formed by several colonial, and British practices. Without any of the the below occurrences. United States culture and government would be drastically different.
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Magna Carta
The Magna Carta was written in 1215, and was used to limit the power of the King. It distributed more power to the people, and granted us the right of a jury among peers. Today, we use the Magna Carta ideals to limit the power of the president, and uphold the 6th amendment in the Bill of Rights.
Parliament
The Parliament is the central governing body of England. The United States derives its bicameral Congress from this, and adopts the practice of using a governing body to use checks and balances on an executive.
English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was similar to the United State's bill of rights. It acknowledged the natural rights of the people, and made it mandatory for the King to seek Parliament's approval before making decisions. Our idea of a Bill of Rights is based on this premise.
Zenger Trial
John Peter Zenger was a newspaper publisher who printed material critical of the royal governor. He was put on trial for libel, but a jury found him innocent. From this we derive our first amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
