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Why Is Magna Carta Still Relevant Today

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The Magna Carta is a document that was written over 800 years ago (Mae and Smith 1) but is still relevant today because it is directly tied to some of the main points in our United States Constitution (Jepson 86). King John of England in 1215 was forced by his subjects to sign this document in England at Runnymede (Mae and Smith 1), or they would revolt. Many historians quote philosopher George Santayana who stated “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”. The original brilliance of the Magna Carta is reflected in both the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and should be revered around the world for providing guidelines for many matters concerning individual liberties. The story of the origin …show more content…

For one we have individual liberties as they did back in the year 1215 in Runnymede. These individual liberties made people free to make their own choices and do what they wanted to as long as it was legal (Turner 1). The exercise of those rights which are considered to be outside the province of a government to control. Another example of how this document is still active today is protection from monarch rule. Our government in the United States has three branches of government; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial to keep any one person or one group from getting to much power. This also eliminates total governmental control. The main themes of the Magna Carta are important and play a major role into todays society because is gives the people freedom from other people’s demands (Jepson …show more content…

Its remarkable to see the Magna Carta have such an impact on so many counties social and political development. For example the European Human Rights Act and the United Nation Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflect closely the language of the Magna Carta, and continues to be a guide for basic legal protections around the world (What is the Magna Carta 1). Consider article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that was promoted by Eleanor Roosevelt which stated “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention, or exile” (Jepson 87). As Franklin D. Roosevelt stated “The democratic aspiration is no mere recent phase in human history. It is human history… It blazed a new in the Middle Ages. It was written in Magna Carta” (Jepson 87). This clause is reflected in article 39 of the Magna Carta. Its doubtful the men that stood in Runnymede and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta would have fathomed their thoughts and statements would be employed 800 years later in the defense of the rights of the poorest and meanest citizens in the countries in every corner of the world (Jones

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The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, mainly secured liberties for England’s elite classes, but it has helped the fundamental principles of common law in constitutions around the world. The Magna Carta's influence on the constitution allowed specific rights from it be included in the US Constitution's Bill of Rights. An example of this would be the similarities between the Magna Carta's thirty ninth clause and the Bill of Rights seventh and fifth amendment. “No free man shall be seized or imprisoned … except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land” (Magna Carta, clause 39).This clause refers to the guarantee that courts will

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Without the Magna Carta, life and government would be completely different than how it is today. The importances of the Magna Carta are commonly overlooked, but the Magna Carta is what created the concepts of Democracy, the Parliament, Consent of the Governed, etc. These principles are the basics that made American government and even the World’s take on government excel and change drastically. All of these key points are what make the Magna Carta the most important influence on American Government and values because of its influence and effect on basic American values.

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