A Short History of Human Rights

With the English Bill of Rights (1689), the English Parliament established its supremacy over the Crown and proclaimed the government a constitutional monarchy. Contrast this to an absolute monarchy, where the king or queen governs with absolute power and authority. In a constitutional monarchy, the country's written and unwritten constitution limits the powers of the monarch (the king or queen). In today's United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland), the monarch has limited formal authority and represents the country as its head of state, performing a primarily public ceremonial role. The elected prime minister is the head of government: the parliament is responsible for debating, creating, and executing laws and overseeing and approving government taxation and spending. Britain does not have a single written constitution like most modern states. Instead, its unwritten or uncodified constitution is based on Acts of Parliament, court judgments, and conventions. Many of these traditional protocols originated with the Magna Carta (1215), the Petition of Right (1628), and the English Bill of Rights (1689). Note that English "common law" describes law derived from custom and judicial precedent rather than legislative statutes (statutory law). However, the evolution of English Common Law is important in its assertion of human rights. The idea that the government exists for the betterment of the people and not the other way around – as was the common belief in feudalism – became the foundation of modern revolutions. Watch this video, which explores how human rights are integral to modern revolutions. Think about the importance of The Magna Carta (1215), the Petition of Rights (1628), and the English Bill of Rights (1689). How does the assertion of rights lead to empowerment and revolution?