Ms. Diane Nicoll 8th Grade History Unit 2: Lesson 1 

The Magna Carta

Name: Demian Schatt

Date: September 26th, 2017

Class: 8th Grade - U.S. History & Geography

 
Slides and Notes 
Slide Student Notes

Origins of the U.S. Constitution

Title 
Unit 2: Lesson 1

Discuss the significance of the Magna Carta, the

Goal 
English Bill of Rights, and the Mayflower Compact.

The Founding Fathers 

These people wanted a document that express the

government in these terms:
● Power of government
● What the government could not do (limiting)
Founding Fathers  ● This would be the highest law of the land
○ 13 colonies could have their own state
government but it couldn’t override the
main government

● Liberty​ (idea of freedom as a group)

● Justice ​(ability to punish)
● Personal Freedoms ​(freedom as an individual)
Constitutional Ideas 
● Rule of Law ​(All agree that this is the authority)
● Government’s responsibility ​(three branches of
government)

● Background knowledge
Where do  ● Experiences
Constitutional Ideas  ● Past governing documents
Come From?  ● British Traditions

● 2 are British, one is American

● 3 Past 
● Magna Carta was an early 1200s document
Governing 
while the bill of rights was a late 1600s
Documents 
document (both British)

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 8th Grade History Unit 2: Lesson 1 

● Mayflower Compact was an early 1600s

document. It was a way for Americans to govern
themselves.

The Magna Carta 

● First person associated with Magna Carta

○ He was HATED
○ He killed a relative in order to have the
throne
○ He wasted money when he was in office
○ Lost lots of his money and land to France
Background:  
○ At that time, Church was a very big deal
King John 
and he argued with them because church
was taking power from him
○ To fix that, he taxed people

● By 1215, King John had severely irritated his

Barons (nobles, elites, rich people)

● Took over entire city of London and FORCED

King John to sign the Magna Carta by
threatening to chop his head off
● Forced him to admit that he wasn’t above the
Background: 
law
English Barons  
○ Can’t tax people, can’t kill his relative and
act above it, etc
●

● English barons made at King John over taxation

● Americans mad at King George III for same
Connections!  reason
● Founding fathers of MERICA used Magna Carta
as a justification to rebel from England

Magna Carta U.S. Constitution

Protects the barons Protects all citizens’

U.S. Constitution: 
(rich peeps)’ rights rights
A Comparison 
King’s not above the No one above the law
law (can impeach
president, can arrest

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 8th Grade History Unit 2: Lesson 1 

judge)

King cannot tax Presidents cannot tax

without Great without Congress’s
Council’s permission permission

The English Bill of Rights 

● Passed into law by parliament in 1689

Background:  ● Became foundation for English common law
Declaration and  ● Used to be called “Declaration of Rights”
Date  ● Inspired Declaration of Independence, US
constitution, and later American bill of rights

● Inspired by GLORIOUS revolution

Background:  ● Was about overthrowing King James II and
Glorious Revolution  replacing him with the monarch pair of WIlliam
and Mary

● They were liked for agreeing to many things

● They were forced to agree to the “English bill of
Background:  rights
Parliament to  ● First time English bill of rights came around
William & Mary  ● Parliament said that English citizens had
political and civil rights that couldn’t be taken
away

● Jury trials
● No excessive bail
● Free elections to Parliament (don’t have to pay
to play)
● Free speech in Parliament (actual citizen can go
Background: 
to parliament and speak)
Governmental 
● Right to arms
Freedoms 
● Free to petition the king (not having to go
through someone)
● No taxation without Parliament’s approval
● No cruel or unusual punishment (I.E Tarring and
feathering)

● Rights protected
U.S. Constitution:  ● Taxation controlled by congress
A Comparison  ● COngress raises and supports an army
● No quartering of troops

 
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Ms. Diane Nicoll 8th Grade History Unit 2: Lesson 1 

● Sets up rules for regular elections

● Right to a jury trial
● Limits powers of the president

Mayflower Compact 

● November 11th, 1620

Background: 
● Provincetown Harbor
Location and Date 
● Cape COd, Massachusetts

● Pilgrims left England to go to Virginia in 1620

because they were mad at the English
government
Background:  ● Ended up in New England, Massachusetts
The Pilgrims   ● To stop arguing that happened on the ship, 41
pilgrim men signed the “Mayflower Compact.
● Became their first government

● Gave a government for these 41 people

● Laid groundwork for government because a
Background:  cooperative act
Cooperation as  ● Agreed to set up just and equal laws
Government  ● Set up a way to change or add laws  
 
 
● Set up idea that you can have a government
within a government (state government and
U.S. Constitution:  federal government)
A Comparison  ● Fairness
● Change is okay

● Magna Carta
In Conclusion  ● English Bill of Rights
● Mayflower Compact
 

 
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