Courtesy of the Library of Congress, The Ancient Rights and Liberties of Great Britain, 1849
Description
In 1849, the Camden Journal, a newspaper from South Carolina, printed an article that quoted from the English Declaration of Rights of 1689. These are rights that settlers who lived in the British colonies in North America would have expected to enjoy. These rights are echoed in documents written by Americans when they declared their independence from England and created their own government.
Transcript of "The Ancient Rights and Liberties of Great Britain," 1849
Transcribed Excerpts from "The Ancient Rights and Liberties of Great Britain," 1849
Source-Dependent Questions
- How does the author connect the English Declaration of Rights to the government of the United States? Cite evidence from the text.
- Compare the rights listed in the English Declaration with rights American citizens have in the Bill of Rights. What similarities do you see between the two documents? What are the differences?
- Think about the similarities you identified above. Use your knowledge of US history to construct a statement about the connection between the rights of British subjects and the rights of American citizens.
Citation Information
The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.), 24 Oct. 1849. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers.