King John launches numerous unsuccessful invasions of France. To pay for the army, he repeatedly taxes the barons of England without their consent.

The Barons of England march to the fields of Runnymede (near London) and compel the king to accept the term of the Magna Charta, which grants that (1) there shall be no new taxes without the consent of those taxed, (2) All free men have the right to trial by jury, (3) the monarch is not above the law, and (4) free citizens have the right to own and inherit property.

King Charles I imposes taxes without the consent of the people.  Citizens unable to pay the tax are imprisoned.

King Charles I is tried for treason, convicted, and executed.

Oliver Cromwell leads leads soldiers who believe King Charles I has exercised powers beyond the authority of the crown.  The war ends with the defeat of the royalists and King Charles in custody.

Oliver Cromwell proves to be as tyrannical as some kings, saying such things as "Your Magna Charta cannot control actions taken for the safety of the Commonwealth".  The Parliament restores the Monarchy under James II.

The king again exercises prerogative powers without the consent of the people. William of Orange, married to Mary (the king's daughter) invades England and the king flees. Parliament offers the crown to William and Mary on condition that the King make no law without Parliament's consent.

In his second of Two Treatises on Government, Locke asserts that all men have natural rights of life, liberty and property.  These rights are not given to the people by the government; rather, they are naturally occurring in all people.

Drawing on the ancient rights in the Magna Carta, Parliament passes the Habeas Corpus Act. This protects against locking people up unfairly.

Parliament passes the English Bill of Rights which, like Magna Carta, lays out rules restricting the power of the monarch and protecting the individual rights of the people.

Written in England by John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, this series of 114 essays addressed various topics including natural rights and good government vs. tyranny.  First published in newspapers in London and later published in book form, they were very popular in America and many of the essays were republished in American newspapers right up to the time of the American Revolution.

John Dickenson published a series of 12 essays arguing Parliament had acted illegally in laying taxes (The Townsend Duties) on the colonies because the power to raise revenue was restricted to the colonial assemblies.

Thomas Paine published Common Sense.  The pamphlet directly argues for American independence from great Britain.  It will become the second most re-printed publication in history, surpassed only by the Holy Bible.