Summary_of_Magna_Carta,_Federalist_Papers,_Mayflower_Compact_&_Declaration_of_Independence

Running head: TIMELINE Timeline Jakia Turner Grand Canyon University POS 301 8/8/2011 Our founding fathers wanted to build a country that worked for the American people. They wanted independence from Britain so that they could be free to establish rules and laws separate from Britain. They built our country based on their beliefs and did not allow their differences to cloud their judgment of what was best for the country. They often wrote their thoughts and beliefs down on paper. Being a young nation, there were problems that motivated them to create different documents to clearly define things for our country. They came up with and drafted documents such as the Magna Carta, The Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. These documents define different things and are very important for our country because they helped establish our democracy in one form or another. Still today, some of these documents are referred to by current leaders of our country. Our founding fathers left us Americans a foundation that can be builded upon to continue to improve our country. The Magna Carta “is a document that King John of England was forced into signing” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). “King John was forced into signing the charter because it greatly reduced the power he held as the King of England and allowed for the formation of a powerful parliament” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). In other words, the Magna Carta was the rights of the English citizens. The purpose of the Magna Carta “was to curb the King and make him govern by the old English laws that had prevailed before the Norman’s came” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). “It was a collection of thirty-seven English laws some copied, some recollected, some old and new. It demonstrated that the powers of the King could be limited by a written grant” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). Just as our founding fathers believed that no one man should have to much power; that is what the Magna Carta is about. It pulled from old and new laws and placed in this document so that the King would rule based on these laws. The Magna Carta is important to American history because it “is considered the founding document of English liberties and hence American liberties” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). “The influence of the Magna Carta can be seen in the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). “Article twenty-one from the Declaration of Rights in the Maryland Constitution of 1776” is an example of the Magna Carta in the US Constitution. (Magna Carta1215, 2011). It states “that no free man ought to be taken, or imprisoned, disseized of his freehold, liberties, privileges, outlawed, exiled, or in any manner destroyed, deprived of his life, liberty or property; but by the judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land” (Magna Carta 1215, 2011). The Mayflower Compact “is a written agreement composed by a consensus of the new settlers arriving at New Plymouth in November of 1620” (Mayflower Compact 2011). “It was drawn up with fair and equal laws, for the general good of the settlement and with the will of the majority” (Mayflower compact 2011). The Mayflower Compact basically states that the country is founded by God and was signed by the men “who honored God and set their founding principles by the words of the Bible. They lived their lives with honesty, reliability and fairness toward establishing this country for the sake of survival” (Mayflower Compact 2011). The Mayflower Compact is important because it “is often cited as one of the foundations of the US Constitution because the creation of the Mayflower begins with the Pilgrims in England” (Martin, 2011). Overall, “the Mayflower Compact was a social contract where by the forty-one men who signed it agreed to abide by the new government’s laws in exchange for shared protection” (Martin, 2011). The Declaration of Independence is simply a document that states that America wants its independence from Britain. It was adopted in July 1776. “The thirteen colonies and Great Britain had been at war for years” and the relationship was going sour since the war (Martin, 2011). The war was causing money issues for Britain; therefore, Britain declared to increase taxes from the thirteen colonies. Colonists became upset and felt that the Parliament did not have the right to raise taxes from the colonies. Thomas Jefferson played a major role in writing the Declaration of Independence. This document is important to American history because it defines the American people’s intent for freedom and why America wanted to cut ties with Great Britain. The Articles of Confederation clearly defines individual state rights. It was originally called the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. “The purpose of the Articles was to provide general government for the thirteen colonies that won their freedom from British rule and to bring Perpetual Union of these new states” (Articles of Confederation 2011). “Each state was guaranteed its sovereignty freedom and independence; and regulation of commerce and revenues was left to the states” (Articles of Confederation 2011). The Articles of Confederation is important to American history because it served as the first US Constitution. It was drafted during the Revolutionary war and it proved that the states needed a strong central government. Shay’s rebellion is an example that not all American needs were met. The Articles “denied congress power to collect taxes, regulate interstate commerce and enforce laws in which lead to the adoption of the US Constitution” (Articles of Confederation 2011). “The Federalist Papers were written and published during the years 1787 and 1788 in several New York State Newspaper to persuade New York voters to ratify the proposed Constitution” (The Federalist Papers 2011). The Papers contained essays describing how the new way of governing would perform and it let the people know why the new way of governing would be better. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay are responsible for writing these essays. The Federalist Papers were important because it persuaded people to support the Constitution and argue that it was better to belong to the Union. States had to ratify the Constitution before it would become effective; that is why the Federalist worked hard to convince voters to support the cause. In conclusion, our founding fathers wanted to build a country that worked for the American people. They fought for and gained independence from Britain. Being a young nation of course; rules, laws and government had to be set in place to govern the people. Our founding fathers came up with different documents such as the Bill of Rights which includes things from the Magna Carta. In addition, they created the Mayflower Compact, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation and the Federalist Papers. All of these are important to America and helped to develop our Constitution in one way or another. Our founding fathers did great work in establishing our country. References Magna Carta 1215. (2011). The Magna Carta. Article retrieved August 2, 2011, from http://www.middleages.org Martin, K. (2011). The Mayflower Compact. The Foundation of the Constitution. Article retrieved August 3, 2011, from http://www.mayflowercompact.org Articles of Confederation. (2011). The Articles. Article retrieved August 2, 2011, from http://www.history.howstuffworks.com/articles-of-confederation Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. (2011). The Constitution of the Several Independent States of America. Article retrieved August 5, 2011, from http://www.earlyamerica.com/articles The Federalist Papers. (2011). Article retrieved August 5, 2011, from http://www.foundingfathers.info/federalistpapers.