There have been many important documents over time, from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution. One of the most important documents of medieval England is the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was a document that declared that all representatives could have a say in government so that all people had a say and King John was not the all-powerful uncontrollable king. For King John, signing was not the smartest choice because he would have given up all his power. He didn't have much choice when his army and people began to rebel. His army and people decided that King John had too much power and control, so they issued the Magna Carta. The people then declared that if he didn't sign the Magna Carta they wouldn't let him do the things he wanted, like waging wars and raising taxes. King John then had no choice but to sign the bill. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned'? Get an original essayThe Magna Carta had a strong influence on both the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of various states. However, its influence was shaped by what Americans of the 1800s believed Magna Carta was a sign of. Magna Carta was widely believed to represent the rights of the people against an overbearing ruler, a legacy that captured the American doubt of concentrated political power. Partly because of this tradition, most state constitutions included declarations of rights intended to grant individuals a list of protection and immunity from the state government. The United States also introduced the Bill of Rights, in part, because of this political belief. Since it wasn't their fault, they had no choice and had to see it happen. England had owned land in France for some years. The barons had provided the king with money and men to defend this territory. Traditionally, the king always consulted the barons before raising taxes and wanting more men for military service. This was all part of the feudal system. As long as the English kings were successful militarily, relations with the barons were good. But John was not very successful in his military campaigns. His constant wants and needs for more money and men angered the barons. By 1204 John had lost his land in northern France. In response to this, John introduced high taxes without asking the barons. This was against feudal law and accepted customs. 1214 was a bad year for John for several reasons. Once again, he suffered a major military defeat in an attempt to regain his old territory in northern France. He returned to London demanding more money from more taxes. This time the barons didn't want to listen. They retaliated against him. The barons took control of London. However, they did not completely defeat King John, and by the spring of 1215 both sides were willing to discuss the matter. No matter what King John tried to do, he failed to recapture his kingdom's ship. The Magna Carta was the result of all this.