Question

Trace the development of the idea of liberty.

Answer 1

In Britain the idea that human beings possess a set of inherent and inalienable rights has deep roots which can be traced back over centuries.

Here are some of the key dates in the history of human rights in the UK.

 

1166 – Abolition of trial by combat and trial by ordeal

1215 – Magna Carta

1647 – “An Agreement of the People”

1689 – Bill of Rights

1774 – Parliamentary Register

1832 – Reform Act

1833 – The Slavery Abolition Act

1918 – Representation of the People Act

1934 – Liberty founded

1948 – Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1950 – European Convention on Human Rights

1957 – The Wolfenden Report

1975/6 – Sex Discrimination Act and Race Relations Act

1998 – Human Rights Act