The Reverend Nathaniel Ward (1578 — October 1652) wrote the first constitution in North America in 1641. Events January 31 - Battle of Gemblours - Spanish forces under Don John of Austria and Alexander Farnese defeat the Dutch. ... // Events April 6 - Dutch sailor Jan van Riebeeck establishes a resupply camp for the Dutch East India Company at the Cape of Good Hope, and founded Cape Town. ... Jump to: navigation, search Events The Long Parliament passes a series of legislation designed to contain Charles Is absolutist tendencies. ...

He was born in Haverhill, Suffolk, England. He studied law and graduated from Cambridge University in 1603. He practised as a barrister and travelled in continental Europe. In Heidelberg he met a German Protestant reformer, David Pareus, who persuaded him to enter the ministry. In 1618 he was a clergyman at Elbing, in Prussia. He returned to England and in 1628 he was appointed rector of Stondon Massey in Essex. He was soon recognised as one of the foremost Puritan ministers in Essex, and so in 1631 was reprimanded by the Bishop of London, William Laud. In 1633, he was dismissed for his Puritan beliefs. (Ward's two brothers also suffered for their non-conformity.) Map sources for Haverhill at grid reference TL6645 Haverhill is an industrial market town in the county of Suffolk, England, just next to the borders with Essex and Cambridgeshire. ... REDIRECT [1] ... King James I of England/VII of Scotland, the first monarch to rule the Kingdoms of England and Scotland at the same time Events March 24 - Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England April... Barristers: traditional dress. ... Map of Germany showing Heidelberg Heidelberg (halfway between Stuttgart and Frankfurt) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... Motto: none Voivodship Warmia-Masuria Municipal government Rada Miejska w Elblągu Mayor Henryk Słonina Area 83,32 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 130. ... Essex is a county in the East of England. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Puritans were members of a group of English Protestants seeking further reforms or even separation from the established church during the Reformation. ... William Laud (October 7, 1573 – January 10, 1645) was Archbishop of Canterbury and a fervent supporter of Charles I of England whom he encouraged to believe in the Divine Right of Kings. ...

In 1634 Ward emigrated to Massachusetts and became a minister in Ipswich, Massachusetts for two years. He then resigned because of ill-health. While still living in Ipswich, he wrote for the colony of Massachusetts The Body of Liberties, which was adopted by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Company in December 1641. This was the first code of laws established in New England. The Body of Liberties defined liberty in terms that were advanced in their day, establishing a code of fundamental principles based on Common Law, Magna Carta and the Old Testament. However Ward believed in theocracy rather than democracy. One of his epigrams was: Jump to: navigation, search State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Senators Edward Kennedy (D) John Kerry (D) Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... Ipswich is a town located in Essex County, Massachusetts. ... Massachusetts General Court - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Massachusetts Bay Colony (sometimes called by the name Massachusetts Bay Company, for the institution that founded it) was the direct predecessor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay and then the state of Massachusetts. ... Jump to: navigation, search While the states marked in red show the core of New England, the regions cultural influence may cover a greater or lesser area than shown. ... This article concerns the common-law legal system, as contrasted with the civil law legal system; for other meanings of the term, within the field of law, see common law (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search Magna Carta placed certain checks on the absolute power of the English Monarchs. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Old Testament or the Hebrew Scriptures (also called the Hebrew Bible) constitutes the first major part of the Bible according to Christianity. ...

The upper world shall Rule,
While Stars will run their race:
The nether world obey,
While People keep their place.

Ward was not in favor of the toleration of other religious sects but nevertheless thought that justice and the law were essential to the liberty of the individual. Many say that The Body of Liberties began the American tradition of liberty, leading eventually to the Declaration of Independence. Jump to: navigation, search A declaration of independence is a proclamation of the independence of a newly formed or reformed independent state, usually from a part or the whole of the territory of another nation, or a document containing such a declaration. ...

In 1646 Ward completed his second book The Simple Cobler of Aggawam in America. This was published in England in January, 1646-7, under the pseudonym of Theodore de la Guard. This is is a polemical book and again shows his lack of religious toleration. He also wrote several other publications. Agawam is a city located in Hampden County, Massachusetts Agawam (grape) is a hybrid grape variety Camp Agawam is a boys summer camp in Raymond. ...

At the end of the English Civil War, when Puritan beliefs were acceptable, Ward returned to England. Ward became the minister of the church at Shenfield in Essex and died shortly after in Shenfield. Jump to: navigation, search The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ... Shenfield is a place in the borough of Brentwood in Essex. ...