Founding Documents: Magna Carta
Civics 101
00:00
Magna Carta and the King
Magna Carta is not the mother of modern democracy, but some people do call it the midwife. It's establishing the principle that arbitrary punishment is wrong. The idea that the king has to follow rules, whatever those rules are, is an incredible breakthrough for the 13th century. Until this point, kings were autonomous. They were not responsible to anyone except God, only to God.
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