The English Bill of Rights was signed in 1689, shortly after King William ascended to the throne during the Glorious Revolution. It’s primary intention was to ensure that the King could no longer act without impunity and to ensure the continued liberty and supremacy of the English Parliament. Among its basic tenets were placing limits on the power of the English royalty, the right to petition the Monarch without fear of punishment, the promise of regular elections in parliament, and the guarantee of freedom of speech in parliament. The English Bill of Rights is considered to be the forebear of the later American Bill of Rights. One right that is not included in the English Bill of Rights, but is included in the American, is the protection from the forced quarter of soldiers in the homes of private citizens. This was included in the American Bill of Rights in response to the British colonial policy of quartering soldiers in American houses during and after the French-Indian Wars.

The right to remain silent effectively states that every accused individual has the right not to speak if they choose to do so. This is related to the Fifth Amendment which says that a defendant cannot be forced to be a witness against themselves. 

The right to a "speedy and public trial" is guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. All American citizens have the right to a public trial in order to prevent any corruption or miscarriage of justice that might occur behind closed doors.

Jim Crow Laws were enforced in the South during the decades after the end of the Civil War and the emancipation of slaves. Jim Crow Laws were designed to further segregation in the United States.

Margaret Sanger was an American activist in the early twentieth century. She believed passionately that giving women the ability to control when and if they got pregnant would do a great deal to advance the autonomy of women in society. Throughout her life, Sanger was an active supporter of allowing women to legally use birth-control.

Habeas Corpus is a British legal tradition that has passed into American law. It essentially states that the government cannot detain a citizen for a lengthy period of time without a trial. It ensures no illegal detention, and that every accused individual will be given the opportunity to go to court to be acquitted of any wrongdoing.

The Magna Carta was a document signed between King John II and the English nobility in the thirteenth century. It was intended to prevent the King from abusing his power and aimed to protect certain rights of the nobility. It is often considered the beginning of English democracy and thus American democracy.

The Magna Carta was signed in 1215 between English nobles and King John II. The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, and the Articles of Confederation were signed into practice in 1781.

The Magna Carta (1215) was the first legal attempt to check the power of the English monarchy and to guarantee certain rights for some of the population. Seen as the founding moment of English democracy, it is worth considering that it only protected the nobles and other aristocrats from the abuses of the monarchy, and it would be a few hundred years before any true democracy began to take shape in England. Still, it is a seminal moment in the progression from autocratic monarchy to representative democracy in the English-speaking world.

The pilgrims who arrived in Massachusetts from Europe were fleeing religious persecution in England under King James I. They signed the Mayflower Compact which essentially stated they were an autonomous and self-governing people.