▁religious ▁int ol er ance ▁and ▁per sec ution . ▁The ▁Fund amental ▁Constitution s ▁of ▁Carolina , ▁the ▁laws ▁for ▁the ▁new ▁province , ▁were ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁Sh aft es bury ' s ▁friend ▁and ▁secretary , ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁John ▁Lock e , ▁but ▁they ▁contain ▁ev id ences ▁of ▁Sh aft es bury ' s ▁collaboration , ▁too . ▁The ▁laws ▁he ▁helped ▁to ▁write ▁produced ▁the ▁greatest ▁measure ▁of ▁political ▁and ▁religious ▁freedom ▁in ▁British ▁North ▁America ▁( and , ▁indeed , ▁in ▁much ▁of ▁the ▁world ). ▁He ▁was ▁the ▁author ▁of ▁the ▁H abe as ▁Cor pus ▁Act ▁where by ▁an ▁accused ▁man ▁cannot ▁be ▁held ▁in def initely ▁in ▁prison ▁without ▁trial , ▁an ▁English ▁law ▁that ▁passed ▁into ▁that ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 6 7 2 , ▁Lord ▁Ash ley ▁was ▁appointed ▁by ▁King ▁Charles ▁II ▁to ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁Lord ▁Chan cell or ▁of ▁England , ▁which ▁is ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁senior ▁and ▁important ▁functions ▁in ▁the ▁government ▁of ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom . ▁The ▁Lord ▁Chan cell or ' s ▁respons ib ilities ▁are ▁wide - r anging : ▁they ▁include ▁pres iding ▁over ▁the ▁House ▁of ▁L ords , ▁particip ating ▁in ▁the ▁Cab inet , ▁acting ▁as ▁the ▁cust od ian ▁of ▁the ▁Great ▁Se al , ▁and ▁heading ▁the ▁jud ici ary . ▁His ▁appointment ▁last ed ▁for ▁two ▁years . ▁ ▁In ▁American ▁history , ▁Sir ▁Anthony ▁Ash ley - Co oper