Magna Carta Importance

In June 1215 The Magna Carta was sealed between the barons of England and King John. This document was one of the first times in history where not only the rich and powerful, but everybody was promised fair laws and in particular, the right to a fair trial.
In Latin, 'Magna Carta' means "Great Charter" and this great charter is directly relevant to a large amount of areas in our lives. It has had huge significance for us today, especially concerning human rights and the establishment of the Human Rights Act in 1988.
The barons of Medieval England and King John wrote the Magna Carta as an agreement between them, putting a series of promises between the King and his subjects into writing.
King John abused his power and as a result the people
of England suffered. The barons wanted to stop the King and this lead to the Magna Carta. Historians view this important event as being the first time an attempt had been made by the barons to stop a King.
Within the Magna Carta there were 63 articles, divided into various sections. One of the most famous of these articles starts the everyone should have access to courts regardless of wealth or background.
Another point included in the articles mentioned that everybody must go through a proper legal system before being imprisoned or punished.
Poor people of this time period hardly ever had access to the law courts and were unfairly punished frequently. So when this law stated in article 39 of the Magna Carta came in, it was revolutionary.
The first Bill of Rights in history was passed in Britain in 1689. The Magna Carta directly lead to this Bill of Rights, establishing the civil and political rights of ALL men, not just the lords and barons. The Magna Carta and this first Bill of Rights were the first steps on the path to Universal Human Rights.
Amongst other things, this granted freedom to petition the monarch, freedom from taxation by royal prerogative, freedom of speech and freedom to elect members of parliament without interference.
Many historians believe that having a formal, written constitution was never considered necessary. This is due to the strong tradition of civil liberties in Britain that the Bill of Rights built.
The U.S.
Constitution in 1797 was also influenced a great deal by the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. The Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights were also the inspiration for some of the most important ideas behind the French Revolution.
We can see, not only on the 1689 Bill of Rights but also the famous American Constitution that the Magna Carta, written 500 years earlier has made a large imprint in these major political documents.
The holocaust and horror of World War II led the members of the UN to adopt the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This Declaration was described as the 'international Magna Carta' for human kind. This demonstrated that even though the complex world of the 20th century brought problems unthinkable in the medieval period, the Magna Carta of 1215 was the origin of many ideas of human rights, which are still very relevant in modern society.
Of equal importance, the Magna Carta was being quoted in the Declaration of Human Rights, one of the most important documents of its time and everyone could understand the ideas behind it.
Whether we are discussing the lack of basic rights in countries such as Kenya, Syria or Zimbabwe, terrorism or dictatorship, the Magna Carta has become a symbol for fighting against lack of rights and oppression and it is this which makes it so relevant
today.