Massachusetts Body of Liberties
E25948
The Massachusetts Body of Liberties was a 1641 legal code in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that outlined early colonial rights and protections, influencing later American constitutional principles.
Aliases (1)
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
colonial charter of rights
→
historical document → legal code → |
| appliesTo |
freemen of Massachusetts Bay Colony
→
inhabitants of Massachusetts Bay Colony → |
| country |
Massachusetts Bay Colony
→
|
| dateAdopted |
1641
→
|
| hasFormat |
list of numbered liberties and laws
→
|
| hasPart |
provisions on capital punishment
→
provisions on criminal procedure → provisions on due process → provisions on property rights → provisions on protections against cruel punishments → provisions on religious liberty → provisions on rights of animals → provisions on rights of servants → provisions on rights of women in certain legal matters → provisions on trial by jury → |
| historicalSignificance |
early articulation of rights in the American colonies
→
one of the first comprehensive legal codes in English North America → precursor to written bills of rights in America → |
| influenced |
American constitutional principles
→
United States Bill of Rights → later colonial legal codes in New England → |
| influencedBy |
English common law
→
Puritan religious beliefs → |
| jurisdiction |
Massachusetts Bay Colony
→
|
| language |
English
→
|
| legalPrinciple |
freedom of movement within the colony
→
prohibition of cruel or barbarous punishments → proportionality of punishments → protection against double jeopardy → protection against self-incrimination → protection of life, liberty, and property → protection of property from arbitrary seizure → requirement of due process of law → right to a fair trial → right to bail in certain cases → right to petition the government → |
| legalStatus |
code of laws
→
|
| location |
Massachusetts Bay Colony
→
|
| placeOfOrigin |
Massachusetts Bay Colony
→
|
| subjectMatter |
civil rights
→
criminal law → procedural law → religious and moral regulation → |
| year |
1641
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Thomas Dudley
("Drafting of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties")
→
|
notableWork |
|
royal charter of Massachusetts Bay
→
|
relatedTo |