Where Was The Magna Carta Signed?

At The Bottom!

What Is The Magna Carta?

In 1215 the people of England the barons had reached their limit with the abusive rule of King John. They banded together a drafted a document that would come to be known as the Magna Carta. Its purpose was to limit the monarch's power and give rights to the barons. This document inspired many of the ideas that you can find in the American Constitution.

What Did It Do?

This document created the rule that the king is not above the law. This introduced many judicial ideas such as due process, the right to a fair trial, and mandatory appearance before a judge before imprisonment. Many of these ideas helped developed democratic systems around the world. The Magna Carta helped create a balance between the monarchy and the parliament. It helped create the idea that individuals have power too and not just the king.

How Did It Affect The U.S.?

The Magna Carta helped inspire the Founding Fathers and their fight for independence from the English monarchy. Ideas such as checks and balances, limited government, and individual liberties can all be found in the American Constitution and the Magna Carta. Both documents had the same goal in mind and that was to keep the government or the monarch from exercising too much power over its people.

What Was It Like To See It?

When we were in Lincoln I was quite surprised to see how uncastle-like the castle grounds were. Today the grounds currently hold one of the few surviving Victorian prisons and the Lincoln courthouse. The views from the castle walk were truly amazing. Standing atop the observation tower you could see for miles. When we went down into the vault to see the Magna Carta I was really surprised. I thought that the parchment itself would be larger and longer. Though I was comparing it to the size of the Constitution. It was quite humbling to see that one medium-sized document had the power to limit kings and queens. I did get a good laugh at seeing how big the King wrote his introduction to try and exercise his power one last time. Seeing the Magna Carta gave me the pride to live in a country where the people fought for their freedom and still use those freedoms every day.