On June 11, 1776 Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin sat in a drafty room signing one of the most important documents in American history. The Declaration of Independence is a formal statement that expressed the desire for the thirteen colonies to be free of the king of Great Britain, stating the reasons and the desire for self-autonomy. In it they appealed to the Supreme Judge of the World, and stated that the United States are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States. This document, which has preserved the United States of America’s independence for so long, was not original of its thinking. The American obsession with self-government and preserving autonomy is a result of the historical events and ideas that
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Though the Magna Carta only lasted for 2 years, its fundamental rights and principles have been a guide for the common law of the constitution in the last eight centuries. The original document of the Magna Carta was something that very much affected the thoughts and ideas of the founding fathers when they first decided on the Declaration of Independence. The Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence both stress the fact that there should be limits to the government. This is an important idea as self-government is the entire basis of our government today. However, the Magna Carta was a contract between the king and the nobles, by contrast the Declaration of Independence is a call for equality and rights for all people, or at least for all white men. As a …show more content…
He in particular promoted the separation of powers. The idea that no single branch of government had complete control over the other. Due to this, the freedom of the people was not threatened, as no government had that much acquired power. Montesquieu believed that the best form of government was a government elected by the people. Montesquieu’s belief that the separation of powers was the on of the best forms of government is reflected in the United States of America’s government system today. America has three branches of government, judicial, executive, and legislative. All three branches have the same amount of power, however different tasks. Very similar to England’s government at the time, which had a Parliamentary branch, a branch centered on the king’s power, and a judicial branch. The Parliamentary branch handled the making of laws, the king was in charge of reinforcing the laws, while the judicial branch was in charge of interpreting
Though the Magna Carta only lasted for 2 years, its fundamental rights and principles have been a guide for the common law of the constitution in the last eight centuries. The original document of the Magna Carta was something that very much affected the thoughts and ideas of the founding fathers when they first decided on the Declaration of Independence. The Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence both stress the fact that there should be limits to the government. This is an important idea as self-government is the entire basis of our government today. However, the Magna Carta was a contract between the king and the nobles, by contrast the Declaration of Independence is a call for equality and rights for all people, or at least for all white men. As a …show more content…
He in particular promoted the separation of powers. The idea that no single branch of government had complete control over the other. Due to this, the freedom of the people was not threatened, as no government had that much acquired power. Montesquieu believed that the best form of government was a government elected by the people. Montesquieu’s belief that the separation of powers was the on of the best forms of government is reflected in the United States of America’s government system today. America has three branches of government, judicial, executive, and legislative. All three branches have the same amount of power, however different tasks. Very similar to England’s government at the time, which had a Parliamentary branch, a branch centered on the king’s power, and a judicial branch. The Parliamentary branch handled the making of laws, the king was in charge of reinforcing the laws, while the judicial branch was in charge of interpreting