English Bill of Rights (1689)

English Bill of Rights (1689)

• The lords & common at Westminster represent all the people in the country & met on 2/13/1688 (Unfortunately, that was a Friday) presenting to King William & Queen Mary a declaration
• The late & not so great James II tried to get rid of Protestantism & our nation’s laws & liberties
  1. He took the power to dispense with laws without Parliament’s permission
  2. Punishing those wishing to have nothing to do with that
  3. Establishing a Royal Court for Church causes
  4. Taxing the people for his own pocket money
  5. Raising & keeping a standing army in peacetime without Parliament’s permission
  6. Disarming Protestants & arming Catholics
  7. Blocking elected MPs from serving in Parliament
  8. Prosecuting in his own court people in an arbitrary manner
  9. Juries were staffed with crooks & loons, especially in cases of treason
  10. Setting excessively high bails
  11. Inordinate fines & cruel/illegal punishments
  12. Fining the accused before a verdict was issued
      • All abominable actions
• Since James abdicated, Parliament is asking the Prince of Orange to uphold our laws, customs & religion
• In order to prevent the actions above from happening again, Parliament states
  1. Suspending laws without Parliament’s consent is illegal
  2. Dispensing with laws is illegal
  3. Establishing a church court is illegal
  4. Raising taxes for your own pocket money without Parliament’s consent is illegal
  5. It’s the right of your subjects to petition the king – attempts to block that are illegal
  6. Raising & keeping a standing army in peacetime without Parliament’s permission is illegal
  7. Protestants may have arms for defense
  8. Free elections of MPs are going to happen!
  9. Freedom of speech & debates in Parliament can’t be impeached or questioned in any court except in Parliament
  10. No excessive bail, fines, or cruel & unusual punishment
  11. Jurors for cases high treason must be freeholders
  12. Grants/promises of fines & forfeitures for particular people are illegal
  13. To redress grievances & amend laws, parliament is to be held frequently
      • Nothing is to be done without Parliament’s permission!!