Answer: The Glorious Revolution showed that the people could pursue a change of ruling power.
Explanation/context:
English philosopher John Locke wrote his <em>Second Treatise on Civil Government </em>in the wake of the Glorious Revolution, advocating that the people had the right to change a government if the government was not properly serving the people whom it governed. Leaders in the American colonies became fans of the philosophy of John Locke, and believed they had the right to pursue a change in government and free themselves from control of Great Britain.
The Glorious Revolution in England was led by members of Parliament against King James II, who had tried to assert greater power and control for himself as king, infringing on their rights. The "revolution" was a change in government, mostly without violence. In June of 1688, seven highly-placed Englishmen sent a letter of invitation to William of Orange (who was husband to James II's daughter Mary), inviting him to come to England and be supported by them and the people as king. As king and queen, the new rulers of England became known as William III and Mary II.
The American Revolution, launched with the Declaration of Independence in 1776, was similar in that it was seeking to free America from unfair government imposed on the colonies by the British home government. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson listed "facts to be submitted to a candid world" to demonstrate that the British king had been seeking to establish "an absolute Tyranny over these States."
