Greece, Rome, and the Bill of RightsSusan Ford Wiltshire traces the evolution of the doctrine of individual rights from antiquity through the eighteenth century. The common thread through that long story is the theory of natural law. Growing out of Greek political thought, especially that of Aristotle, natural law became a major tenet of Stoic philosophy during the Hellenistic age and later became attached to Roman legal doctrine. It underwent several transformations during the Middle Ages on the Continent and in England, especially in the thought of John Locke, before it came to justify a theory of natural right, claimed by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence as the basis of the "unalienable rights" of Americans. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accused American ancient Aquinas Aristotle armsbearing Athenian Assembly Athens Augustus basis belief Bill of Rights century B.C. CHAPTER Christian Church Cicero citizens civic civil Clarendon Press classical common law concept Constitution criminal D'Entrèves democracy divine doctrine early Ecclesia emperor England English federal feudal framers freedom of speech Gaul Greece Greek Grotius Hobbes human idea individual rights institutions Isegoria ius gentium Jefferson Jews John Locke justice king Law and Politics law of nature Lex Julia liberty Locke's Madison Magna Carta medieval ment Middle Ages moral nation natural law theory natural rights Natural Rights Theories Ninth Amendment origins Oxford person philosophy Plato Political Thought practice principle protection Rapaczynski reason religion religious Republic Roman law Rome rule of law ruler social Stoic Stoicism Susan Ford Tacitus theory of natural Thucydides tion tradition trial by jury Ullmann vote York