The Magna Carta influenced the Constitution in a variety of ways. In the idea of the document demanding that authority respect certain individual rights, the basis of the Bill of Rights can be seen. At the same time, this helped to develop the antifederalist position that the Constitution must be seen as a shield against government encroachment. The Magna Carta's assertion of habeas corpus is another example of how the document played a role in the formation of the U.S. Constitution. In developing the idea that individuals must know why the details in the accusation of wrongdoing, one sees the basis for the fifth and sixth amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The notion that individuals possessed a sense of legal equality to the even the most wealthy and powerful in society is another aspect of the document that is seen in the U.S. Constitution, in that equality is built within the law.

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3 years ago