Eight hundred years ago, the Magna Carta became the first document that limited the king’s power. This document allowed the people to be granted human rights such as a right to a jury trial and no taxation without representation. In the thirteenth century, England was under rule of the infamous King John. The people were fed up with his acts such as increasing taxes in order to pay for military. In addition, King John alienated the towns of England from the Church. His nobles wrote the Magna Carta in hope to gain fundamental rights. King John was against this document, but he was forced to agree to these laws when his nobles captured London. In 1215, the document was officially signed and the free people of England were granted basic human rights. The Magna Carta is still one of the most important documents today because of the influential impact on valuable documents such as the United States Declaration of Independence, the United States Bill of Rights, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
In order for the United States to gain its independence from England, Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Similar to the people in
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These rights were made in order to establish laws that protected individuals. Both the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights allow citizens to develop their own countries without a ruler who is above the law. The two documents gave the people the right to a fair trial and jury. As well as a fair trial, the Magna Carta inspired the Bill of Rights to give people the right to have witness to defend them when accused. For all who these laws apply to, it states in the Bill of Rights and Magna Carta that one may not be denied these rights. The fundamental rights that were originally established in the Magna Carta caused the United States Constitution to be the longest lasting constitution