Organic Legal Documents
Fundamental legal documents in English and American history
(in chronological order)
- Magna Carta (1215)
- Confirmatio Cartarum (1297)
- First Charter of Virginia (1606)
- The Mayflower Compact (1620)
- Ordinances for Virginia (1621)
- Petition of Right (1628)
- Charter of Massachusetts Bay (1629)
[More readable version] - Charter of Maryland (1632)
- Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)
[More readable version] - Abolition of Star Chamber (1641)
- Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641)
- Charter of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (1663)
- Concessions and Agreements of West New Jersey (1677)
- Habeas Corpus Act (1679)
- Frame of Government of Pennsylvania (1682)
- English Bill of Rights (1689)
- Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges (1701)
- Treaty (Act) of Union (1707)
- Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress (1765)
- Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774)
- Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms (1775)
- Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
- Declaration of Independence (1776)
- Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights (1776)
- Delaware Declaration of Rights (1776)
- Maryland Declaration of Rights (1776)
- North Carolina Declaration of Rights (1776)
- Vermont Declaration of Rights (1777)
- Massachusetts Declaration of Rights (1780)
- Articles of Confederation (1781)
- New Hampshire Bill of Rights (1784)
- Northwest Ordinance (1787)
- U.S. Constitution (1787) [with Amendments to date]
- The Act of Union (40 Geo. III c. 67) (1800)