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The rights of freedom, equality, and justice for all, which are held sacred, were not always guaranteed for all citizens. Many were deprived of life, liberty, and the right to own property. Others were denied public trials. The lower classes were looked upon as inferior. The Magna Carta also known as the "Great Charter," was signed by King John of England in 1215. It was the document that changed the lives of millions of people around the world. The Magna Carta caused long-range, long lasting, and long-term effects on society. The Magna Carta guaranteed nobles certain rights, limited the king’s power, and provided a cornerstone for further documents that support human rights and freedom for all. King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. It was revised in 1216 and then later in 1217. The last version, written in 1225, became law and was confirmed in Parliament. It stated the customary enactment and was enforced in the courts of law. It also confirmed existing privileges and liberties (Holt 1). The Magna Carta established the idea that nobles had certain rights and that the king had to respect the law. It consisted of over 60 clauses. Many of them declared human rights and over 30 were about the relations of the king and his subjects. The document guaranteed the liberties of small and large property- owners. It also broke the feudal compact and gave nobles the right to public trials (Bryant 275). The charter declared that the English church should be set free and that no free man should be outlawed, imprisoned, or exiled without a lawful judgment by his peers or by the law (Holt 2). The Magna Carta was also a charter of liberties. It certified reforms that would protect upper classes against absolute monarchs, and answered questions about ward ship, marriage, widows, and the payment of debts (Warren 237). Four original copies of the Great Charter have survived since the meeting at Runnymede.
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