The Magna Carta
The Magna Carta has a lot of significance in the modern western world because of its root in protecting church rights, private liberties, and fair judicial practices. The charter has formed the background of the U.K, the U.S, France, and New Zealand constitutions. In Great Britain, the Magna Carta has been used to provide access to a fair judicial system by guaranteeing trial by juries and other civil liberties. Additionally, there is freedom of worship in Great Britain, which means any citizen can profess their faith. Protestors in London’s streets, such as those Occupy London march in 2012, quoted the Magna Carta while trying to protect their rights to remain at the churchyard of St. Paul’s church. Other lawyers and politicians also quote the Magna Carta’s clauses in various instances while defending the constitutional rights of Great Britain citizens.
In the U.S., the Magna Carta was brought in as a charter by the English colonists. Later after the U.S. had gained independence from Great Britain, the Magna Carta formed the American constitution’s foundation. The Bill of Rights in the U.S. constitution is based on the provisions of the Magna Carta. Protection of the church’s rights is captured in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which gives American citizens liberty to assemble and profess their faith in churches of their choice. Moreover, the protection against illegal imprisonment is captured in the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unwarranted searches and seizures of person and property. Finally, equal access to justice is premised on the Fourteenth Amendment, which calls for equality before the law. The U.S. has subsequently gone to greater lengths to implement the Magna Carta’s basic tenets as its drafters originally intended it in 1215. Other sovereign nations such as France and New Zealand also uphold the high standards of protection of the liberties and freedoms of their citizens. All these statutes derive their foundation of the English charter of 1215, which has famously come to be known as the Magna Carta.