#separator:tab #html:false #tags column:4 Code of Hammurabi (c. 1754 BCE) Babylonian law code carved on a stone pillar famous-historical-documents Cyrus Cylinder (539 BCE) Persian clay cylinder describing Cyrus's rule and respect for local customs famous-historical-documents Twelve Tables (c. 450 BCE) Rome's first written laws, displayed in the Forum famous-historical-documents Edicts of Ashoka (c. 250 BCE) Messages carved on pillars by the Maurya emperor about justice and compassion famous-historical-documents Rosetta Stone (196 BCE) Decree in three scripts that helped decode hieroglyphs famous-historical-documents Edict of Milan (313 CE) Roman proclamation of religious tolerance famous-historical-documents Justinian Code (529-534) Byzantine collection of Roman laws that shaped later legal systems famous-historical-documents Constitution of Medina (c. 622) Early agreement among communities in Medina famous-historical-documents Domesday Book (1086) English survey of land and property ordered by William the Conqueror famous-historical-documents Magna Carta (1215) English charter limiting the king's power and protecting rights famous-historical-documents Golden Bull (1222) Hungarian charter limiting royal power, similar to Magna Carta famous-historical-documents Gutenberg Bible (c. 1455) First major book printed in Europe with movable type famous-historical-documents 95 Theses (1517) Martin Luther's list of church criticisms famous-historical-documents Treaty of Tordesillas (1494) Spain and Portugal divided new lands outside Europe famous-historical-documents Mayflower Compact (1620) Agreement by Pilgrims to govern themselves fairly famous-historical-documents Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) One of the first written constitutions in the colonies famous-historical-documents Petition of Right (1628) English document limiting the king's power to tax and jail without cause famous-historical-documents English Bill of Rights (1689) Guaranteed Parliament's powers and individual rights famous-historical-documents Two Treatises of Government (1689) John Locke's work on natural rights and consent of the governed famous-historical-documents Common Sense (1776) Thomas Paine's pamphlet arguing for independence famous-historical-documents Declaration of Independence (1776) Announced the colonies' freedom and the ideas of equality and rights famous-historical-documents Articles of Confederation (1781) First US government plan famous-historical-documents Northwest Ordinance (1787) Set rules for new territories and banned slavery north of the Ohio famous-historical-documents US Constitution (1787) Framework of the US government famous-historical-documents Federalist Papers (1787-88) Essays defending the Constitution famous-historical-documents Bill of Rights (1791) First ten amendments protecting individual rights famous-historical-documents Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) French statement of rights and equality under the law famous-historical-documents A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792) Mary Wollstonecraft's argument for women's education and equality famous-historical-documents Washington's Farewell Address (1796) Warned about political division and foreign entanglements famous-historical-documents Monroe Doctrine (1823) Warned Europe against new colonies in the Americas famous-historical-documents Declaration of Sentiments (1848) Seneca Falls document calling for women's equality famous-historical-documents Communist Manifesto (1848) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's pamphlet about class struggle famous-historical-documents Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) Ended the Mexican-American War famous-historical-documents Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) Novel that increased opposition to slavery famous-historical-documents Emancipation Proclamation (1863) Lincoln's order freeing enslaved people in rebelling states famous-historical-documents Gettysburg Address (1863) Lincoln's short speech about equality and 'government of the people' famous-historical-documents 13th Amendment (1865) Ended slavery in the United States famous-historical-documents 14th Amendment (1868) Citizenship and equal protection for all persons born in the US famous-historical-documents 15th Amendment (1870) Gave Black men the right to vote famous-historical-documents 19th Amendment (1920) Gave women the right to vote famous-historical-documents Origin of Species (1859) Charles Darwin's book on evolution by natural selection famous-historical-documents Balfour Declaration (1917) British letter supporting a Jewish homeland in Palestine famous-historical-documents Fourteen Points (1918) Woodrow Wilson's plan for post-WWI peace famous-historical-documents Treaty of Versailles (1919) Peace treaty ending WWI with Germany famous-historical-documents Atlantic Charter (1941) Churchill and Roosevelt's statement of war aims famous-historical-documents Four Freedoms (1941) FDR's speech on freedom of speech, worship, from want and from fear famous-historical-documents UN Charter (1945) Founding document of the United Nations famous-historical-documents Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) UN statement of rights for all people famous-historical-documents Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court decision against school segregation famous-historical-documents Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963) Martin Luther King Jr.'s defense of nonviolent protest famous-historical-documents I Have a Dream (1963) King's speech at the March on Washington famous-historical-documents Civil Rights Act (1964) Outlawed segregation in public places and job discrimination famous-historical-documents Voting Rights Act (1965) Protected voting rights for Black citizens famous-historical-documents Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) Banned discrimination against people with disabilities famous-historical-documents Silent Spring (1962) Rachel Carson's book that sparked the environmental movement famous-historical-documents The Diary of a Young Girl Anne Frank's diary, published in 1947 famous-historical-documents Wealth of Nations (1776) Adam Smith's book on markets and trade famous-historical-documents Leviathan (1651) Thomas Hobbes's book on government and order famous-historical-documents The Social Contract (1762) Rousseau's book on the general will famous-historical-documents The Prince (1532) Machiavelli's guide to ruling, published after his death famous-historical-documents Dead Sea Scrolls Ancient manuscripts found in caves near the Dead Sea starting in 1947 famous-historical-documents Treaty of Paris (1783) Ended the American Revolution famous-historical-documents Treaty of Westphalia (1648) Ended the Thirty Years' War famous-historical-documents Great Law of Peace Haudenosaunee constitution, some influence on early American ideas is debated famous-historical-documents Cherokee Constitution (1827) Written constitution of the Cherokee Nation famous-historical-documents Sequoyah's syllabary Cherokee writing system created in the 1820s famous-historical-documents Indian Citizenship Act (1924) Granted citizenship to Native Americans born in the US famous-historical-documents Emancipation Manifesto (1861) Russian tsar Alexander II freed the serfs famous-historical-documents Meiji Constitution (1889) Japan's first modern constitution famous-historical-documents Constitution of India (1950) World's longest written national constitution famous-historical-documents Magna Carta's clause 39 No free person to be punished without lawful judgment, a root of due process famous-historical-documents Habeas corpus Principle that you cannot be held without legal charges; strengthened by England's 1679 Act famous-historical-documents Bill of Rights (1689) vs 1791 England's came first; the American one added rights to the US Constitution famous-historical-documents Homestead Act (1862) Offered free land to settlers who farmed it famous-historical-documents Pendleton Act (1883) Created merit-based jobs in the federal government famous-historical-documents Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) Law against monopolies famous-historical-documents