Magna Carta

In 1215, King John of England consented to the demands of his barons and agreed for Magna Carta to be publicly read throughout the land. By this act, he bound himself and 'our heirs, in all things and all places for ever' to grant to the people of his kingdom the rights pronounced in Magna Carta. By signing Magna Carta, King John brought himself and England´s future rulers within the rule of law. The rule of law places a restraint on the exercise of arbitrary government power, and it places all people and civil government under law. The American patriots, therefore, waged war against England to preserve liberties originating in thirteenth-century England. A distinction, however, is noted between Magna Carta and the American concept of liberty. While Magna Carta is a guarantee from a king that he will follow the law, the Constitution of the United States is the establishment of a government consisting of, and created for, 'We the People.'