The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta

In 1215 King John of England signed the Magna Carta, a document forced upon the King by his barons in order to provide them with more liberties. The document was signed by King John as a result of the threat of civil war taking place between the monarchy and the King’s barons. Magna Carta is a Latin phrase meaning “the Great Charter”, which is exactly what the Magna has been; as it is one of the most famous and important documents in history. Several clauses within the Magna Carta are still in use today; such as the 39th clause which guarantees the right of due process of law. To fully understand the importance of the document it must be understood what the state of England was that led to the creation of this document. This paper will first delve into the events that led to the document’s creation. Several of the liberties that were granted to the English freemen will also be explained in this paper. Of the liberties discussed it will explain how these liberties changed life for those whose rights who were now being protected under the Magna Carta Lastly, this paper will explore how any of these particular rights have influenced the governments of England and the United States, as well as some rights movements.

While King John of England was the one to have signed the Magna Carta, the issues brought forth by his barons had begun well before John’s reign over England. England at the time lived under a feudal society, in which land was granted by a lord to his vassals in exchange for feudal aids, which included taxes as well as providing the lord with able bodied soldier’s to fight his wars. The feudal system, originally used in France, was brought to England by William the Conqueror’s siege on the isle of Britain in 1066 (Bennett 248). The feudal system installed in Britain saw one major difference than that of France in regards to where vassals laid their allegiance. The system in Britain under William the Conqueror made it so that each...