My Constitutional Thought Explained by Britain’s Glorious Revolution

The British constitution inspires my Constitutional ideas expressed by my thought experiment of a “Revised United States Constitution.”

Technically, the United Kingdom has no written Constitution. Conversely, Britain has one of the oldest, most flexible, and durable constitutional systems that dates to the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

The Glorious Revolution of 1688 was a political settlement between Parliament and Queen Mary, and her Husband William of Orange, the stadholder (monarch) of the Netherlands. In 1688, William of Orange’s mercenary armies invaded England and drove out the unpopular Roman Catholic King James II.

After the invasion, the Convention Parliament wanted a political settlement that could preserve the monarchy but limit the monarchs’ power. The political settlement included a Declaration of Rights and transferred executive power to a two-house parliament that included an elected House of Commons.

Why We Need to Study the Glorious Revolution

In essence, William and Mary got the crowns in exchange for giving parliament the power to form a government. The monarchs agreed to limit their power and become subject to parliament. In exchange, William got the money he needed to pay his…