Absolute kings and limited monarchy: Louis XIV and the English Bill of Rights
Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me
Circle the best answer.
Read this first
The Bill of Rights, 1689
Who made it: England's Parliament; accepted by William III and Mary II. When: 1689 (royal assent 16 December 1689). Where: London, England. For whom: the people of England and its monarchs. Why: to set limits on the monarch's power. Line 1 (p. 77 of C. Grant Robertson's 1904 printing, original spelling): "That it is the Right of the Subjects to Petition the King and all Commitments and Prosecutions for such Petitioning are Illegall." Line 2 (p. 78 of C. Grant Robertson's 1904 printing, original spelling): "…Parlyaments ought to be held frequently." Below the cards, from the US Constitution: the First Amendment (1791) protects "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances", and Article I (1787) says "The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year" (Section 4). Source card "Louis XIV: what historians say today". Who made it: historians writing today. When: today. Where: France. For whom: readers today. Why: to sum up what research has found. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Louis XIV, the "Sun King", was King of France from 1643 to 1715: 72 years and 110 days, the longest reign of any monarch of a sovereign country. He ruled as an absolute monarch. From 1682 the court lived at the Palace of Versailles, and he weakened the nobles by having many of them live there.
Which line protects the right to petition the king, Jun asks?
- Neither line
- The Louis XIV card
- Line 2
- Line 1
Luz reads the word petition in line 1. What is a petition?
- A written request to a ruler
- A tax on trade
- A royal palace with gardens
- A law that the king makes on his own
Which part of the US Constitution below the cards matches line 1, Milo asks?
- Congress must meet once a year
- The First Amendment's right to petition
- The king may punish people who petition
- Congress may collect taxes
Which part of the US Constitution below the cards matches line 2, Noah asks?
- The right to petition the government
- Congress meets at least once every year
- Congress meets when a king wishes
- Congress meets just once in about ten years
Why would frequent parliaments limit a monarch, Pia asks?
- Parliament would stop making laws
- Meetings gave the monarch more power
- Parliament could check the monarch often
- The monarch could ignore Parliament for years
How did Louis XIV's rule differ from rule under the Bill of Rights, Ren asks?
- Louis was limited; English monarchs were absolute
- Both were limited by the Bill of Rights
- Louis was absolute; English monarchs were limited
- There was no difference
After the Bill of Rights, did England still have a monarch, Zee asks?
- No: the monarchy ended
- Yes, with absolute power
- Yes, but the monarch's power was limited
- No: Louis XIV ruled England
Ari's note says, "Under the Bill of Rights, petitioning the king was a crime." Which fix is right?
- Leave it: petitions were banned by the king
- Change "king" to "palace"
- Change "crime" to "tax"
- Change it: petitioning was a right
Bo's note says, "The First Amendment came before the English Bill of Rights." Which fix is right?
- Change "First" to "Last"
- Leave it: the amendment is older
- Change it: the English Bill came first, in 1689
- Change "English" to "French"
Esme's note says, "Louis XIV shared power with a parliament, like William and Mary." Which fix is right?
- Change "parliament" to "palace"
- Change it: Louis XIV was an absolute monarch
- Leave it: they ruled the same way
- Change "Louis XIV" to "Colbert"
