In this lesson from Unit 2: Colonial America, students explore major historical documents that helped shape modern ideas about government, individual rights, constitutional limits, and self-government. Students examine how political ideas evolved over centuries from medieval England through the Enlightenment and into the American and French Revolutions.

The lesson begins with the Magna Carta of 1215 and the troubled reign of King John of England. Students investigate how heavy taxation, abuse of royal authority, and conflict with English nobles led to rebellion against the king. The lesson also introduces Fulk FitzWarin, an outlaw noble connected to resistance against King John and a possible inspiration for later Robin Hood legends. Students learn how the Magna Carta, although short-lived in its original form, became historically important ...