Jamestown Virtual Colony

The Rights of Englishmen

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Set

 Objectives

  1. Students will explore the history of the "rights of Englishmen" by studying the Magna Carta.
  2. Students will be able to define rights guaranteed to Englishmen in the Magna Carta.
  3. Students will create a paraphrased version of the Magna Carta.
  4. Students will be able to identify similarities from the rights guaranteed in the Magna Carta to the ones that citizens of the United States enjoy today.

 Materials

 Relevance

This lesson introduces students to the "rights of Englishmen." When the first Jamestown settlers set sail from England in December 1606, their charter guaranteed that the New World colonists "shall have and enjoy all liberties, franchises and immunitiesÖ to all intents and purposes as if they had been abiding and borne within this our realme of England." Though, a vast ocean would separate the colonists from their mother country, they would still be protected under English laws. They were still considered Englishmen. Then what were the rights of Englishmen? Students will have an opportunity to work in groups to translate the different portions of the Magna Carta into common-day vernacular. This activity helps students to define many of the rights that the Jamestown settlers held so valuable. Students will have created a paraphrased version of the Magna Carta that can be displayed in the room as a reference for the remainder of the Colonial Unit. This lesson also helps students to see the origins of many of the rights of modern-day American citizens.

 Involvement of the Learners

The teacher will ask the students: "What Constitutional rights do you value the most?"

 Transition

Once students have responded, the teacher will pass out copies of the Magna Carta and say, "Well, these are the rights that the Jamestown colonists thought were most important."

 Explanation / Activity

  1. The teacher will discuss a brief history of the Magna Carta. Background information can be obtained from the National Archive and Records Administration website: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/magnacarta/magmain.html
  2. Next, the teacher will divide the class into 5-6 groups.
  3. The teacher will assign each group a specified number of amendments from the Magna Carta depending on the size of the class. (There are 37 articles plus a preamble and a conclusion in the 1297 translation of the Magna Carta.)
  4. The teacher will explain to the group that they are to read over their assigned amendments and that as a group, the students are to paraphrase the amendments into everyday vernacular.
  5. Each group should write their revised amendments on construction paper.
  6. During the work period, the teacher should float around the classroom offering any suggestions and encouraging all students to contribute to their groupís work.
  7. Once all the groups are completed, each group will display their "version" of the amendments to the rest of the class and then hang it up in the classroom.

 Closure

To close the lesson, the teacher will ask the class: "How is the power of the king limited for the future?" "Do you see any similarities between the rights guaranteed in the Magna Carta and those guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution?" Discussion of these two questions should employ the remainder of the class time.


Sources:

Morton, Richard L. 1960. Colonial Virginia: Volume 1 The Tidewater Period, 1607-1710. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press.

The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities. 1997. Original Settlers. APVA Jamestown Rediscovery. Available: http://www.apva.org/history/orig.html

National Archives and Records Administration. 1996. Magna Carta: A Translation. The Exhibit Hall. Available: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/magnacarta/magtrans.html

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