British Historical Documents

On page 17, answer the following questions

• Describe a time when you experienced an injustice. How did you handle it? Did it make a difference?

• Kings ruled by divine right; • chosen by God to rule; all

had to answer to the king; • but the king only

answered to God.

King John ruled England during

the 1200’s

• He taxed his subjects excessively to pay for his military failures in France

• He abused his royal privileges

• The nobles were fed up and rebelled.

• To punish them, King John tried to revoke some of their privileges and powers to which they’d grown accustomed

• 1215:• After considerable discussion, a

group of nobles drew up a charter (document) explaining their rights and limiting the king.

• They sent it to King John for his seal

• King John refused. • The nobles renounced their

allegiances to him, • They marched on London

and captured the city

• John knew that he had to come to terms;

• he met the nobles at Runneymede on June 15, 1215 and signed, sealed and issued the charter.

• This charter is referred to as the Magna Carta.

• The Magna Carta is THE MOST IMPORTANT EARLY EXAMPLE OF A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF LAW

Mastery Question:What led to the creation of the Magna Carta?

Understanding Question:Why were the nobles dissatisfied with King John and what had they done to improve the situation?

Self-Expressive Question:All kings signed official documents with their “seal”, a crest or symbol that stood as their mark. Given what you know about King John, sketch an appropriate symbol to serve as his seal

Interpersonal Question:If you were a noble, what rights would you want to ensure in the Magna Carta, what limits would you place on the king?

On page 19 of your notebook, write the following question and answer it

• What rights do you have and is there anyone or anything that can take those rights away?

• Orient your graphic organizer so the circle with 3 connecting circles is in the lower left hand corner

Magna Carta

Established the Rule of Law: Law, not king, is

supreme, All must obey the law, EVEN the King

Magna Carta

Established the Rule of Law: Law,

not king, is supreme, All

must obey the law, EVEN the

King

Rule by consent and contract:

•You rule as long as I say you can rule over me. •When you cease to be a fair and effective ruler, I have the right to replace you

Magna Carta

Established the Rule of Law: Law,

not king, is supreme, All

must obey the law, EVEN the

King

Rule by consent and contract:

•You rule as long as I say you can rule over me.

•When you cease to be a fair and effective ruler, I have the right to replace you

Magna Carta

Established the Rule of Law: Law,

not king, is supreme, All

must obey the law, EVEN the

King

Rule by consent and contract:

•You rule as long as I say you can rule over me.

•When you cease to be a fair and effective ruler, I have the right to replace you

Basic Rights that cannot be

deniedFreedom from Imprisonment without a trial

No Excessive Fines

Freedom to travel for

purposes of trade

Representatives should take part in

government(Parliament)