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Essay / Comparison of the circumstances that led to the signing of the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence
Table of contentsSocial structureEconomic factorsIdeological changeReferenceIt is well known that in world history there are a large number of documents that have significant meaning and meaning. value. In British history, Magna Carta is an important constitutional document that represents the limitation of the king's power. And in American history, the Declaration of Independence marks the founding of the United States. The circumstances of signing these two documents have both similarities and differences. And the similarities and differences are discussed according to three levels: the social level, the economic level and the ideological level, followed by the explanation of their implications. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Social Structure First, the social structures that contribute to the signing of the two documents are different, but both create a context for such things to happen. Since 1066, Britain gradually formed a feudal system in which the king had "feudal incidents" (Turner, 2003, p. 16). According to Turner, King John exploited feudal incidents aggressively, demanding exorbitant sums from baronial heirs and controlling underage marriage; King John's behavior therefore has something to do with social structure. And finally, conflicts arose. Furthermore, the idea of feudalism is intrinsically present in people's hearts. Clohesy's PowerPoint states that for quite a long time, people believed in hierarchy (2019); therefore, the barons chose to let King John sign a charter rather than overthrow the government. In the American colonies, the truncated society was established. With the exception of slaves, people are more equal to each other. So they did not accept absolute foreign power and chose to rebel. Furthermore, since the truncated society created an entirely different culture, they formed their own identity; so, ultimately, they fought for independence. This implies that the way society is organized affects the social conflicts they have and the solutions they use. If society is organized hierarchically, people tend to use less radical means to limit someone's power, as the barons did in Britain. They chose to negotiate with whoever held absolute power and let him sign a charter. If society is organized in a less hierarchical way, people tend to use more radical means to solve the problem, as the American colonists did. After some struggles, they finally declared their independence. Economic Factors Secondly, when it comes to economic factors, the conflicts in both countries have something to do with increasing taxes. In Britain, according to Turner, "King John's personal affronts and financial extortions against individual barons triggered wider rumblings of discontent as early as 1208 and 1209." Long-standing financial tensions between the barons and King John gave rise to the signing of the Magna Carta. The same goes for signing the Declaration of Independence. The conflict in the American colonies arose from the British government's demand to impose high taxes to finance the war. As the conflict ultimately could not be resolved, the settlers declared themselves independent. In summary, in both situations, the tax increase provoked anger.