1. THE BILL OF RIGHTS – 16TH DECEMBER 1689

2. BILL OF RIGHTS KEY INFORMATION VIDEO!

3. BILL OF RIGHTS SCRIPT
 The Bill of Rights was an act of parliament of England
 It was an “act declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and settling the
succession of the Crown”
 In 1689, it was signed by William of Orange and Mary II – in return for them being
affirmed as co-rulers in England and Ireland by the English Parliament

4.  Englishmen possessed certain civil and political rights that could not be taken away:
Freedom from royal interference with the law
Freedom from taxation by royal prerogative, without agreement by
Parliament
Freedom to petition the King
Freedom to bear arms for self-defence
Freedom to elect members of Parliament
Freedom of speech in Parliament
Freedom from cruel and unusual punishments
Freedom from fines and forfeitures without trial

5. Certain acts of James II were specifically named and declared illegal on
this basis
The flight of James from England in the wake of the ‘Glorious Revolution’
amounted to abdication of the throne
Roman Catholics could not be King or Queen of England

6. William of Orange and Mary II were the successors of James
The ‘Bill of Rights’ was a big step in the evolution of the British
government – after the Magna Carta, the ‘Bill of Rights’ is an important
step in England’s progress towards a constitutional monarchy
The English ‘Bill of Rights’ can be regarded as a predecessor of the United
States Constitution

7. William of Orange and Mary II were the successors of James
The ‘Bill of Rights’ was a big step in the evolution of the British
government – after the Magna Carta, the ‘Bill of Rights’ is an important
step in England’s progress towards a constitutional monarchy
The English ‘Bill of Rights’ can be regarded as a predecessor of the United
States Constitution