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American society and British history

From Magna Carta to American democracy

Though Britain is a monarchy and the USA is a republic, the two nations share a common
constitutional heritage that guarantees political and human rights.

THE HERITAGE OF MAGNA CARTA

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Signing the US Constitution in 1787. The Founding Fathers were mostly of British descent and were very familiar with the origins of the
constitutional rights enjoyed by people in Britain. A British flag can be seen on the wall in this painting, by Howard Christy.

In his address to the nation in September 2022 US President Joe Biden warned Americans not to take their democracy and their human
rights for granted. "We told ourselves that American democracy is guaranteed," he said, "But it's not. We have to defend it. Protect it.
Stand up for it. Each and every one of us."
At a time when civil liberties and acquired human rights are are being questioned and even threatened in many countries, including
the USA and the UK, it is interesting to look back at how these rights were acquired in the first place.

When the Founding Fathers of the United States drew up their Constitution in September 1787, part of what they wrote down was directly inspired by
one of the most important documents in the history of England: Magna Carta.

As gentlemen who were familiar with the culture of the British Isles, from where their ancestors had mostly come, the Founding Fathers knew their
English history well; they saw what was right and what was wrong with the political and administrative system of power in the country of their ancestors; and
they decided that as far as its effects on American colonies were concerned, Britain was not applying the basic principles

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of just and responsible government. To American eyes, the principles of Magna Carta were no longer being respected. The Founding Fathers were determined
that in the new United States of America, these rights would be enshrined in the Constitution.

Magna Carta is certainly one of the most influential documents to have been written in the last 1,000 years. It was in the year 1215, the late Middle
Ages, that a group of Anglo-Norman noblemen decided that the time had come to establish once and for all in England the limits of royal power and the
fundamental rights of the people.

Inspired partly by the democratic tradition of the Anglo Saxons (who ruled England until the Norman conquest in 1066), partly by their own desire to
prevent a royal dictatorship, they forced the notorious King John to sign away the right of a monarch to rule autocratically without the consent of
parliament.

As far as basic human rights are concerned, they too were established in writing in Magna Carta.

"No free man shall be imprisoned, unless by the lawful judgement of his peers, or by the law of the land," it stated. "To none will we (i.e. the
monarch) sell, to none will we deny or delay, right or justice."

Magna Carta was the original Bill of Rights. Although it did not give "power to the people" in any modern sense of the word, it did limit the power
of the King. It confirmed the authority of Parliament, and established for good one of the most important principles of regal or political power in England -
namely that the power and authority of a leader to rule are subject to approval and permanent scrutiny of those over whom he rules.

In other words, Magna Carta served to banish for ever from England any idea of the "divine right of kings" or "absolute monarchy". On the few
occasions since then when British monarchs have tried to override the limitations imposed on them by Magna Carta and subsequent constitutional acts, they
have done so at their peril. When King Charles 1st was tempted by the attraction of absolute power in the seventeenth century, he had his head cut off, and
the monarchy was temporarily abolished.

A fact that is often forgotten nowadays, is that England was one of the first nations to become a republic in modern times; Charles 1st was replaced by a
commoner called Oliver Cromwell, and England became a "Commonwealth".......................................which is a vague translation of the Latin
expression res publica – more normally translated as republic. The republic lasted for only eleven years, after which Parliament reinstated the monarchy;
but twenty-nine years later, the power of the monarch was again restricted, and the rights of Parliament and the people were reaffirmed, in the English Bill
of Rights of 1689.

Transferred into the language of eighteenth century America, the principles of Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights were taken one step further,
when the United States Constitution totally separated the three sides of power: executive power (the President), legislative power (Congress) and judicial
power (the Supreme Court).

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In the course of the centuries, the bold democratic principles originating in Magna Carta have too often been neglected in individual cases; but at least
they had the merit of existing, and generally speaking they have underlined law in the English speaking countries ever since. It is a pity that even in Britain
or the USA, there are politicians today who do not believe in all the democratic values that have guided our history for many generations..

WORDS
take for granted: consider as acquired - threaten: menace, put in danger - enshrined: made permanent - Middle Ages: the medieval period
- noblemen: lords, aristocrats - notorious: famous for bad reasons - prevent: avoid, stop from happening - autocratic: dictatorial - banish:
remove - act: law - reinstate: put back in place - lawful: legitimate, legal - peers: people in the same social group

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Student worksheet

From Magna Carta to American democracy

exercise:

1. Grammar: Verb forms - past tenses and other forms

Choose the correct verb form from each of the twenty drop-down lists in these extracts from the article. There is only one grammaticallyand contextually
correct option in each case.

When the Founding Fathers of the United States drew up their Constitution in September 1787, part of what they
wrote down was directly inspired by one of the most important documents in the history of England: Magna Carta.

As gentlemen who were familiar with the culture of the British Isles, from where their ancestors had mostly come , the
Founding Fathers knew their English history well; they saw what was right and what was wrong with the political and
administrative system of power in the country of their ancestors; and they decided that as far as its effects on American colonies were
concerned , Britain was not applying the basic principles of just and responsible government. To American eyes,
the principles of Magna Carta were no longer being respected . The Founding Fathers were determined that in the
new United States of America, these rights would be enshrined in the Constitution.

Magna Carta is certainly one of the most influential documents to have been written in the last 1,000 years. It was in the year
1215, the late Middle Ages, that a group of Anglo-Norman noblemen decided that the time had come to establish once and for
all in England the limits of royal power and the fundamental rights of the people.
...........

Magna Carta served to banish for ever from England any idea of the "divine right of kings" or "absolute monarchy". On the
few occasions since then when British monarchs have tried to override the limitations imposed on them by Magna Carta and
subsequent constitutional acts, they have done so at their peril. When King Charles 1st was tempted

by the attraction of
absolute power in the seventeenth century, he had his , and the monarchy .
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head cut off

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Verbos para ejercicio 1hay que ponerlos en el tiempo correcto…puede usar voz activa y pasiva, tiempos simples o compuestos.
VERBS
- 1. Draw up
1. Drew up
- 2. Write
- 3. Directly inspire
2. Written
- 4. Mostly come 3. Was directly inspired
- 5. Know 4. Had mostly coome
- 6. See 5. Knew
- 7. Decide 6. Saw
- 8. Concern 7. Decided
- 9. Not Apply 8. Were concerned
- 10. Respect 9. Was not applying
- 11. Determine
10. Being respected
- 12. Enshrine
11. Were determined
- 13. Write
- 14.Come
12. would be enshrined
- 15. Serve banish 13. to have been written
- 16.Try 14. have done
- 17. Do 15. served to banish
- 18. Tempt 16. had tried
- 19. Temporarily abolish 17. have done
- 20. Cut off his head 18. was tempted
19.
20.

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2.Antonyms: read through the article and pick out words which mean or imply the opposite of the following.

descendant causes
still since Ascendant
to cause temporarily previous established freed Consequences
timid
Moving
After
Effect
Permanent
Next
Unknown
Confined
Bold

Synonyms: read through the article and pick out words which mean or imply the same as the following.

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essential autocracy approval put in prison restrict power

for ever royal Important
go beyond later Absolutism
these days survived
Consert
Incarcerate
Restrain
Capability
Continuously
Monarch
To surpass
Afterward
Now a days
Lived

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confirmed completely Commited

Fully

Complete the words: Replace the endings that are missing from some of the words in this extract.

Magna Carta is certain ly one of the most influen tial docu ments to have been wri tten in the last
1,000 years. It was in the year 1215... that a group of Anglo-Norman noblemen decidthat the time ed had come to estab
once
lish and for all the limits of royal power in England, and the fundarights of the people. mental

Inspir ed part by the demo cratic

ly tradition of the Anglo Saxons (who ruled England until the Norman conq
uest in 1066), partl
y by their own desire to pre vent a royal dictator ship , they forced the noto
tous John to sign away the right of a monarch to rule autowithout the consentcraticaly
King of parliament.
As far as basic human rights are concern, they too
ed were establishin writin Magna Carta. ed ing

Text contraction

Write a short abstract (précis) of this article in 200 to 200 words.,

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Teachers section : Using this article in class

Synonyms and antonyms exercises.

These exercises are not easy, and they are not designed to be easy. Their purpose is to make students look very carefully at the text, reading and rereading it
until they find all the antonyms and synonyms. This also means that they need to understand it. The aim of all this is to expand students' active vocabulary
and the variety of their vocabulary.

Answer to opposites exercise above: ancestors, effects, no longer, until, to prevent, for good, subsequent, abolished, imprisoned, bold.

Other ideas?
EFL teachers: Help develop this resource by contributing extra teaching materials or exercises.
Click here for further details
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