LaDayzha Hicks
Ms. Conrad
American History I Honors
23 August 2014
Early America There are many similarities and differences between the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, and the Iroquois Confederation. The Magna Carta was the first document forced onto an English King by a group of his subjects in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. The source of government was a divine decree from the Catholic Church and the Church of England. The individual rights were limited to those granted by signers of the document. The government rulers were accountable to God. There was no popular recourse against rulers. The structure of the government was not specified in the document however; there were a monarchy with lords and barons. The English Bill of Rights was made to grant the people basic human rights, which included freedom of speech, right to bear arms for defense, and be granted the right to a democratic process which would limit the Monarch rule. This made it possible for citizens to voice their opinions without fear of strict punishment for speaking out against the hierarchy. It was the first step in a long process towards democracy for England. The source of government was the people of England. Their individual rights guaranteed the right to petition the King and to be tried by a jury when accused. Excessive bail, fines, and cruel punishments were forbidden. The structure of the government was a mixed system with a limited monarch and an elected Parliament. The Iroquois Confederation had their own government and it was called The Great Peace Law. The Tuscarora people later joined the Great Peace Law, so then there were five tribes in the confederacy. Each individual had rights of emigration, inheritance, and adoption. They also had rights of participation in decisions impacting the people. The government leaders made decisions about important matters or a great emergency. The Lords of the Confederacy were required to submit the matter to the decision of their people. Some similarities between the English Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta is that they both possessed clauses about due process of law, trial by jury, unbiased trial, protection against bail, fines, and cruel punishment. Also, both were instigated due to a lack of government efficiency. For the Magna Carta, King John was taxing his barons ridiculous amounts of money to fund his getting back of his french territories that he has lost. The barons proposed to King John the magna carta, which he signed only so that he could keep their allegiance with him. “The main differences between the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights are that the Bill of Rights is a one way document. It basically limits the power of the crown to restrict the rights of his subjects. In contrast, the Magna Carta is a two way document