The Magna Carta

The Magna Carta — page 1 — MAKING THE RULES FOR A COUNTRY What would happen if there were no rules It may sound like fun because it means you could do whatever you wanted But without rules people could also steal or hurt each other and not be punished People would be unsafe and life would not be fair Rules help protect people All modern governments have sets of rules called laws The Magna Carta is an 800-year-old document Only four copies of the original document exist today 4

The Magna Carta — page 2 — These laws are usually written down so that everybody knows what they are Governments did not always have written rules One of the ﬁrst examples in history of a government’s written laws is the Magna Carta Latin for Great Charter This document was signed more than 800 years ago in England The story of the Magna Carta involves a disliked king and rebellious nobles Keep reading to learn about how the Magna Carta was created and how countries like the United States studied it to make their own laws The Magna Carta was signed in England It created laws for that country A charter is a document issued by a government that gives rights to a person or group Vocabulary 5

The Magna Carta — page 3 — A WRITTEN RECORD The Magna Carta was a document that gave certain rights to the English people Putting those rights down in writing King John of England signed the Magna Carta in 1215 6

The Magna Carta — page 4 — was important for two reasons First the Magna Carta created an agreement between the king of England and his people By writing down the laws everyone knew what the laws were People could point to the written laws if a disagreement came up The Magna Carta meant that the king could no longer make up new laws whenever he wanted Instead even the king had to follow the rules written in the Magna Carta It was the ﬁrst document to state that citizens had rights The second reason why it was important that the laws of the Magna Carta were written down is that it gives historians a primary source to study After 800 years how else would historians today know how England’s government worked back in 1215 We would Think about what rules you have to follow at home and at school Which rules make you safer Which rules would you change if you could and why Think About It 7

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