Medieval institutions of representative government were already well established long before the emergence of independent, self-governing towns in the 12th century. Habits of collective decision-making and mechanisms for regular local assembly were in place to counter the growing power of territorial monarchies. […]
The framers of the United States Constitution were influenced by medieval institutions. In fact, the procedures for electing officials, judging cases, examining witnesses, and other practices central to modern governance were hammered out in medieval Europe. […]
Though 1.2 million African Americans served in the American military during World War II, most were assigned to noncombat units. This racial discrimination led to the launch of the Double V campaign. […]
March on Washington chapters held massive pre-march rallies, which made President Roosevelt anxious. He promised Black labor activist Asa Philip Randolph of better treatment of African Americans. […]
In 1940,Asa Philip Randolph met President Roosevelt to lobby for nondiscrimination in defense hiring and for the desegregation of the military. Disappointed with Roosevelt’s refusal to interfere, he called on African Americans to march on Washington DC. […]
President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to institute a military draft, requiring men between age 21 and 35 to register for service, and shifted the focus of American manufacturing to the production of war materials. […]
Magna Carta justified armed rebellion against the monarch if he did not uphold his side of the bargain, and this enabled the Barons’ Revolt of the 1260s. […]
The doctrine of the King’s Two Bodies was used strictly in response to the need to lawfully sanctify and legitimise the succession of Elizabeth I. It remedied the problem of her gender, making it more palatable for medieval England to accept her as their ‘king’. […]
The “Domesday Book” held data from a survey conducted by William the Conqueror. He included references to the Common Law, whi unforeseeably ended being used against the king himself. […]
Alfred the Great tried to have a unified rule of law, establishing shared legal processes and norms. In fact, in early medieval England, a jury of 12 men would regularly convene to settle disputes and give testimonies. […]
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