British Government Essay

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Essay Sample #1 Question #1: 2) How did the British government become more “inclusive” in the late 1600s to the early 1700s? What significant transitions (changes) did English government undergo during this time period? The British government had been [sic] an absolute monarchy up to the late 1600s when drastic changes to the countries [sic] form of government were made. Most, if not all, of the changes the British government suffered in the late 1600s limited the monarch’s power. In 1679 the Habeas Corpus Act initiated the transformation of the English government. This act disallowed unlawful detention of a citizen by a monarch. The Kings and Queens of England could no longer imprison or kill a citizen without reason. Although the due process that an English citizen had to go through before being imprissond could improve, it was still a major advancement in that it at least informed the accused person of why he was being arrested. In 1689, ten years after the Habeas Corpus Act was put into place, the English Bill of Rights was adopted. The English Bill of Rights granted the English citizens the right to petition the king and the right to bear arms. These rights further diminish the power of the English monarch, but the one thing that hits the monarchy hardest is Parliament. In the English Bill of Rights a bicameral Parliament would rule over England along with the monarch. The English Parliament was composed of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The higher house was the House of Lords which was composed of non-elected nobility. The lower house was the House of Commons which was composed of elected male citizens. The lower house would give the citizens of England a small say in the English
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