The Magna Carta, which British nobles forced King John to sign in 1215, established for the British people the important right of trial by jury -- a foundation stone of American democracy and jurisprudence. During England’s Glorious Revolution of 1688, the British people overthrew King James II because he was acting contrary to their wishes; Parliament insisted his successors sign the English Bill of Rights, which prohibited a standing army during peacetime and allowed private citizens the right to bear arms -- both hallmarks of the American Bill of Rights.
