SkipCaptcha, Automoderated users, edit
2,592
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 32:
Line 32: + + Line 102:
Line 104: −
→Early History in America: add paragraph explaining English view
== Early History in America ==
== Early History in America ==
In England as with much of the medieval world until the 16th century, people accepted the view called the "devine right of kings" to govern. God gave a king the right to govern, and the king would then grant rights, privileges and titles to people. To the extent that the English people enjoyed freedoms, it was because '''the King of England''' had signed the [[Magna Carta]]. Because rights did not inherently belong to each individual, English society accepted many inequities that would not be accepted today, such as slavery, indentured servitude, and limited rights for women.
The concept of unalienable rights in America extends as far back as 1620, when the first Pilgrims arrived on the shores of what is now [[Massachusetts]], in search of religious freedom. According to Governor [[William Bradford]], it was the unending attack on the rights of religious minorities in [[Britain]] which convinced the [[Pilgrims]] that leaving [[England]] was the only way to secure their liberties:
The concept of unalienable rights in America extends as far back as 1620, when the first Pilgrims arrived on the shores of what is now [[Massachusetts]], in search of religious freedom. According to Governor [[William Bradford]], it was the unending attack on the rights of religious minorities in [[Britain]] which convinced the [[Pilgrims]] that leaving [[England]] was the only way to secure their liberties:
* “As drafters of our '''Bill of Rights''', the Framers inscribed the principles that control today. Any deviation from their intentions frustrates the permanence of that Charter…”<br />-- Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist
* “As drafters of our '''Bill of Rights''', the Framers inscribed the principles that control today. Any deviation from their intentions frustrates the permanence of that Charter…”<br />-- Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court William Rehnquist
</blockquote>
</blockquote>
== Legitimate Exceptions ==
== Legitimate Exceptions ==