The English Bill of Rights
England’s Parliament enacts English Bill of Rights. The bill codifies the liberty rights of all Englishmen. No Englishman can be born a slave and no one is above or below English rule of law.
John Locke publishes Two Treatises of Government
John Locke publishes Two Treatises of Government (London, 1689) which arguably offers a justification for slavery – although few scholars now believe that Locke’s arguments were intended to be applied to the Atlantic slave trade.
The Convention Parliament Votes
The Convention Parliament voted that James II had ‘abdicated’ and that William and Mary should be offered the Crown.
The Commons Read the Declaration of Rights
The Commons read the Declaration of Rights to William and Mary, which they later enacted as statute, the Bill of Rights.
Parliament Declares War
Parliament declared war on France leading to the Nine Years’ War.