COMPARE THE UNITED STATES BILL OF RIGHTS TO THE ENGLISH MAGNA CARTA OF Term Paper

COMPARE THE UNITED STATES BILL OF RIGHTS TO THE ENGLISH MAGNA CARTA OF 1215 - Term Paper Example The second amendment is the right to keep and bear arms. This amendment guarantees citizens the freedom to protect their life against oppression of the government by keeping arms (Burgan 38). The third amendment states the conditions for quarters of soldiers. These conditions state that citizens cannot be forced to have soldiers enter their houses whether during war or during peace (Burgan 39). The fourth amendment is the right of regulated search and seizure. This amendment guarantees citizens the right to have their places and possessions searched or seized only against a warrant issued under due cause (Burgan 39). The Fifth Amendment concerns provisions concerning prosecution. This means that the citizens cannot be prosecuted unless a Grand Jury finds it legitimate to do so. Citizens should also not be compelled to testify against themselves (Burgan 39). The sixth amendment secures citizens the right to a speedy public trial by a jury that is unbiased. The citizen should have the opportunity to see the witness of the prosecution and to present his own witnesses (Burgan 40). The seventh amendment guarantees citizens involved in suits where the value exceeds twenty dollars a trial by a jury (Burgan 41). The eighth amendment protects US citizens against unnecessarily large amounts for bail, expensive fines or cruel punishment (Burgan 41). The ninth amendment protects citizens’ rights against other rights specified in the Constitution (Burgan 41). The tenth amendment protects citizens against the federal government by only giving it rights specifically mentioned in the Constitution (Burgan 41). 2. The Magna Carta of 1215 was an important charter signed by King John of England on 15 June 1215 after barons who had become dissatisfied with the king’s exploitative form of governance and exorbitant taxes had besieged him in his palace at Windsor (Drew 139). The Magna Charter is important because it restricted the absolute powers of the king and helped t o make the parliament more powerful. Primarily, the charter was intended to modify the feudal relationships between the king and the barons in the kingdom but down the centuries the terms of the charter and the freedoms granted to citizens under it have become a cornerstone for citizens’ rights and freedoms around the world. The document became the basis of the constitutional form of government (Drew 139). Originally, the Magna Carta contained 37 laws but most of these have been lost over the centuries. The most important of the laws that is in existence today is the freedom of citizens to be protected against forcible imprisonment or possession of property by the government. Among other freedoms guaranteed by the Magna Carta were the independence of the Church and its protection against interference of any kind from the king. The Magna Carta also transferred the right to impose taxes to the parliament. Citizens were also given the right to due process and protection from arb itrary punishment and seizure (Drew 139). 3. The Magna Carta of 1215 was written by Archbishop Stephen Langton of Canterbury and was signed by King John. It was originally called Articles of the Barons. The document was signed under pressure from the feudal barons who had united against the oppressive governance of the king (Drew 139). The Bill of