The Laws of a Country
“Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made” –Otto von Bismarck. English Bill of Rights, the American Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen contain a lot of resemblances; however, they each have unique qualities. This is because they are all built on the same foundations, but adjust qualities to meet their specific desires.
Primarily, The English Bill of Rights was written while James I was in power; he was Catholic and often made remarks about the superiority of his religion. The Protestants made the bill to ensure their rights and secure their equality. In the document, they set a law that a ruler could not be Catholic. They also set many other laws to keep the king in check; for instance, the king had to consent Parliament in all plans he had for the country. From the English Bill of Rights, there was groundwork provided for the American Bill of Rights.
At the time of the installment of the English Bill of Rights, America had just attained their freedom. Primarily, America had but a constitution that provided parameters for the government. However, there was a controversial idea that citizens needed their own boundaries as well. There were twelve amendments written and of those twelve, ten were developed into the American Bill of Rights. While the American Bill did come from the basis of the English Bill, they adjusted many ideas to suit the new country. A significant variance was the American concept of the freedom of religion. This clearly contrasted greatly from the English who has a specific law banning a Catholic king. The Americans also added a law of personal property privacy and forbidding of trespassing. America had another amendment that was intended to shield individuals in court. In France, the country took inspiration from America to establish the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The French added a unique touch that forbids doing things that harm society. Because of France’s history with the three estates, they included a law of dividing taxes among all citizens. The other two countries had no significant ties to this issue,