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Essay / Magna Carta - One of the most important documents of medieval England
Over time, many important documents have existed, from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution. One of the most important documents from medieval England is the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was a document that stated that all representatives could have a say in government so that all the people had a say and that King John was not the all-powerful, uncontrollable king. For King John, signing this was not the wisest choice because he would be giving up all his power. He didn't have much of a choice when his army and people began to rebel. His army and people decided that King John had too much power and control and so created Magna Carta. The people then declared that if they did not sign the Magna Carta, they would not allow the things they wanted, like waging war and raising taxes. King John then had no choice but to sign the bill. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe Magna Carta had a strong influence on both the United States Constitution and the constitutions of individual states. However, its influence was shaped by what Americans in the 1800s saw Magna Carta as a sign of. Magna Carta was widely seen as the right of the people against a ruling leader, a legacy that sparked doubt among Americans about the concentration of political power. Partly because of this tradition, most state constitutions included bills of rights intended to guarantee individuals a list of protections and immunities from the state government. The United States also adopted the Bill of Rights, in part because of this political belief. It wasn't their fault, they had no choice and had to see this happen. England had owned land in France for several years. The barons had provided the king with money and men to defend this territory. Traditionally, the king always consulted the barons before raising taxes and wanting more men for military service. This was all part of the feudal system. As long as English kings were successful militarily, relations with the barons were good. But John did not have much success in his military campaigns. His constant desires and needs for more money and men irritated the barons. By 1204, John had lost his lands in northern France. In response to this, John introduced high taxes without seeking advice from the barons. This was contrary to feudal law and accepted custom. 1214 was a bad year for John for other reasons. Once again, he suffered a heavy military defeat while trying to recover his former territory in northern France. He came back to London to get more money through more taxes. This time, the barons did not want to listen. They fought against him. The barons took over London. However, they did not completely defeat King John and by the spring of 1215 both sides were ready to discuss the issue. No matter what King John tried to do, he could not win back his royal ship. The Magna Carta was the result of all this.