English Documents and Democracy

Democracy largely had its origins in Great Britain, where people grew tired of life under monarchical rule. Although not all monarchs were tyrants, many of them were greedy and ruthless, taxing their people heavily and punishing them harshly, sometimes without cause. Not surprisingly, the people longed for more control over their lives.

At Runnymede, England, in 1215, after years of exorbitant taxation and bloody foreign wars, English barons took a stand against King John. They drew up the Magna Carta, which outlined restrictions on the king's power and granted certain rights to the barons. For example, it provided that the king could not jail or execute people without due process, and he could not arbitrarily seize their money or property.

The Magna Carta marks two significant steps toward democracy:

  * It challenged the idea that monarchs had absolute power.

  * It gave people rights.

The monarchs who succeeded King John did not always abide by the rules set forth in the Magna Carta. Fortunately for the English people, Parliament gradually gained power and influence. More than 400 years after the Magna Carta was signed, members of Parliament challenged King Charles I. In 1628, they rejected his request to increase taxes and withheld their consent until he agreed to sign the Petition of Right. This document barred the king from such acts as arresting or punishing people without cause and forcing people to let soldiers to stay in their homes.

The Petition of Right was another milestone in the development of democracy. As with the Magna Carta, it diverged from the idea that God appointed kings, giving them a "divine right" of absolute power. People began to adopt the conviction that a king's power was not God-given, leading them to feel that they could reduce the king's rights and expand their own. The Petition of Right also insisted that monarchs are subject to the same laws as everyone else and have to answer for their crimes.

Despite Parliament's efforts, English monarchs continued to misuse their power. In 1689, Parliament tried once again to end the abuses with the English Bill of Rights. William and Mary of Orange had been approached by Parliament about becoming the new English monarchs. As a condition of their succession, they had to sign this Bill of Rights.

Parliament had previously established that monarchs could not levy taxes without its approval. The English Bill of Rights extended the list of actions requiring Parliamentary approval. Under the provisions of the Bill, the monarchs could not keep a standing army during peacetime and could not change or abolish laws. The Bill also provided that people had the right to petition the king without fear of reprisal and the right to a fair trial.

Although modern-day Great Britain has a monarch and no written constitution, its government is parliamentary. It operates not as a monarchy but as a democracy built upon the Magna Carta, Petition of Right, and English Bill of Rights. Each of these documents helped shape democracy in Great Britain and throughout the world. Today, many of the laws and rights established by these documents can be found in the United States Constitution and in the constitutions of other countries.