British Historical Documents Analysis

Before America became an independent country we lived under the rule of Britain. Britain was not always as bad as the colonists made it seem. Britain did things like not make the colonists pay taxes during the french and Indian War. It was not till after the war when Britain was in debt and started making the colonists pay taxes that there was a problem. This was the initial start of the American Revolution. After the revolution America became independent and started writing government documents, some quite the same as British documents. American founding documents are similar to British historical documents because they both address natural rights, citizens rights, and the separation of powers.
Both British and American documents address alike
topics; one of these topics being our natural rights. In the document of the Second Treatise of Civil Government John Locke focuses on the state of nature of the people, also known as their natural rights. “No one ought to harm another in his life, liberty, or possessions…”(Second Treatise of Civil Government). In this section of the document Locke states the natural rights of any human being. This is similarly stated in the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. “We hold these truths to be...that all men are created equal...with certain unalienable rights...life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.”(Declaration of Independence). This being said, America and Britain had the same beliefs in the rights of all people. However, after the French and Indian war the colonists felt they were not being treated with those rights. Because of this they made sure to reinforce these rights in their new found independence.
Another similar issue between the British and the Americans was citizens rights.
Both documents The English Bill of Rights written and The Bill of Rights, (which is the ratified version of the English Bill of Rights) focus on the citizens rights. The rights of the people were important to Britain as they would be in any other country. If you make the people unhappy it could outbreak in a rebellion as it ended up doing anyways. “... Freedom of speech and debate in parliament should not be taken away by any court of parliament itself.”( English Bill of Rights ). In America the people’s rights were important too. “The enumerated in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” (Bill of Rights). Although the British said they would respect the people’s rights in the end they did not. By placing taxes and unfair acts the colonists felt that their rights were taken away.This is why in the new American documents they wanted to make the rights of the people were clearly
stated.
A third alike subject matter between Britain and America’s historical documents is their want for separate houses to hold power in government.Both countries believed that if one house in the government had too much power that it would become unjust and there would be no liberty.
“ In every government there are three sorts of power; the legislative, the executive in respect to things dependent on the wall of the nations, and the executive in regards to the things that depend on civil law.” (The Spirit of Laws,Montesquieu). This British document is describing it's three houses of government, without these branches the British government would have become chaotic and making and executing laws would be difficult. “ … in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…”(The Constitution of the United States). The British government was all American new for quite some time. The ancestors of America all came from Britain meaning that the British form of government was the only form of government that they actually knew and understood. The system of government seem to work well and the Americans then adopted it. To make it their own government the Americans been changed one of the branches. They needed the judicial branch.
Similarities between English and British document such as natural rights, citizens rights, and the separation
of powers are all caused by the American foundation starting in Britain. If it weren't for Britain and the revolution America would not have become independent and they would be living under British rule. Even though many of their documents are similar the British rule did not work out as great as America's.