The rebel barons were coming to terms with the fact they lived in a lawless country where even though they owned land and had titles, the king could still do whatever he wanted to them.
What they needed was a list of rights, something that clearly stated that, before the king could carry off their belongings and give their lands to someone else, they deserved a trial with witnesses and a jury.
And that's just what the Magna Carta did.
Questions About Rights vs. Privileges
- If you were one of the rebel barons, what one essential right would you have demanded from the king? Why?
- Do you think that the barons asked for too much or too little from the king? Explain.
- How do you think our justice system would be different if juries had to be made up of only people of a similar socioeconomic background, as the barons suggested?
- How do the rebel baron's compare and contrast to the colonists who wrote the Bill of Rights?
Chew on This
The rebel barons were whiney babies complaining about lacking rights when they had castles (literally castles) to go home to. The people who actually needed a list of rights were the serfs who were practically enslaved and lacked even the most basic human necessities.
The amazing thing about the rights demanded in the Magna Carta is that they remain fundamental rights asked for by all people hundreds of years later, making it a document of universal appeal.