Which document, associated with limiting the Crown and guaranteeing Parliament's role, was enacted in 1689?

Which document, associated with limiting the Crown and guaranteeing Parliament's role, was enacted in 1689?

• A. Habeas Corpus Act
• B. Petition of Right
• C. English Bill of Rights
• D. Magna Carta

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the constitutional shift that followed the Glorious Revolution, when Parliament's power was formalized and the monarchy's authority was narrowed. The English Bill of Rights, enacted in 1689, established that the crown cannot suspend laws or levy taxes without Parliament, cannot keep a standing army in peacetime without Parliament's consent, and cannot interfere with elections or the debates of Parliament. It also guarantees regular Parliaments and the free speech of members, reinforcing that the king rules with the consent of elected representatives rather than by prerogative power alone. This makes it the document that specifically enshrines limits on the Crown and guarantees Parliament’s role in governing. Other choices are earlier documents that also constrained royal power in different ways, but not the 1689 settlement. The Petition of Right (1628) limited royal prerogatives before the Civil War era. The Habeas Corpus Act (1679) protects individual rights to challenge detention, and Magna Carta (1215) laid groundwork for later limits on the monarchy, but neither reflects the 1689 constitutional framework that tightly defines the relationship between crown and Parliament.

The main idea here is the constitutional shift that followed the Glorious Revolution, when Parliament's power was formalized and the monarchy's authority was narrowed. The English Bill of Rights, enacted in 1689, established that the crown cannot suspend laws or levy taxes without Parliament, cannot keep a standing army in peacetime without Parliament's consent, and cannot interfere with elections or the debates of Parliament. It also guarantees regular Parliaments and the free speech of members, reinforcing that the king rules with the consent of elected representatives rather than by prerogative power alone. This makes it the document that specifically enshrines limits on the Crown and guarantees Parliament’s role in governing.

Other choices are earlier documents that also constrained royal power in different ways, but not the 1689 settlement. The Petition of Right (1628) limited royal prerogatives before the Civil War era. The Habeas Corpus Act (1679) protects individual rights to challenge detention, and Magna Carta (1215) laid groundwork for later limits on the monarchy, but neither reflects the 1689 constitutional framework that tightly defines the relationship between crown and Parliament.