Today people everywhere are deeply concerned with their rights, their freedom, and laws that protect them against tyranny and oppression. The Magna Carta, or the Great Charter, was the first step toward constitutional liberty for English-speaking people everywhere in the world. It was signed by King John of England in 1215, and it laid the foundations for a new kind of government.

At the time of King John, there was much oppression, the courts were corrupt, and justice was not practiced. So the barons who ruled under the King decided to try to get back some of their old rights and privileges, which they believed were more fair to themselves and the people. On June 15, 1215, they and some churchmen of England gathered an army together and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta.