Magna Carta

• the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law.

Petition of rights

• a legal petition formerly used to obtain redress (as possession or restitution of property) from the British Crown for breach of contract or to remedy manifest injustice.

English bill of rights

• an original Act of the English Parliament and has been in the custody of Parliament since its creation.

Social Contract

• an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits

Leviathan

• an artificial person whose body is made up of all the bodies of its citizens, who are the literal members of the Leviathan's body.

Natural Laws

• a body of unchanging moral principles regarded as a basis for all human conduct.

Checks and balances

• counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.

Mayflower compact

• an Agreement to Bind Colonists Together.

Common Sense

• good sense and sound judgment in practical matters.

Virginia Declaration of Independence

• It declared that “all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights”

Virginia Statue of Religious Freedom

• Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested or burthened

Declaration of independance

• a document that officially records the proclamation that the United States is an independent country from Great Britain.

Majority Rule

• the principle that the greater number should exercise greater power.

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