PDP4 - Magna Carta
Author Bio: The document had been created by the barons of England. There was a bias towards their cause because it was made to prevent a Civil War and to control the King. They were opposed to the king and were in favor of the king being monitored and restricted in some areas.
Historical Context: This document comes at a time when England was at the brink of war with the barons in that country. This was to be a peace treaty between the barons and the King. It is important because it states that every man shall be free. It also states that no man shall be sold or denied Liberty.
Summary: The purpose of the document was to describe the importance of the Magna Carta. This occurred when several of the Barons of England confronted the king when there was the impending threat of a civil war occurring. This however did not stop the civil war when the pope invalidated the agreement. Although it did not prevent the civil war, there had been several other copies of the document that was made. The Magna Carta had been made to restrict the king from controlling the land ruled under the baron. It was also to protect their rights. The people would have to be judged before they were prosecuted and the people could not be sold or denied rights. The Americans took the Magna Carta into mind as they were creating the Declaration of Independence. Some of the rights mentioned in the document were included in the bill of rights.
Important Quote: "'No freeman shall be taken, imprisoned, disseised, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will We proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.'"
The “identifying characteristics” of this document were described throughout the writing. The person writing this piece was the barons who wished to protect their rights from the king. The document also goes into detail to describe the time the Magna Carta was drafted in. England was on the edge of a civil war and the king was hoping to avoid conflict. The document is from England before the internal bloodshed. Jarred did an excellent job of expressing the importance of this document, but he did miss a point that the Magna Carta seemed to have stressed. The Magna Carta was written with the rights of the people in mind and in particular the idea that each person should be given the right to a fair trial and not be placed in jail without substantial evidence for their conviction. Other than this the summary captured the other points throughout the writing very well.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to understand that the "freeman" described in this document is not everyone in England but restricted only to property owners. Also, delve more deeply into the actual document rather than just providing a summary of the context provided by the editor.
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