Famous legal documents

Rules and laws and the conventions or customs from which they are descended have been a part of human life ever since ancestors first began to live in large and settled group. The earliest known legal text was written by Ur-Nammu, a king of the Mesopotamian city of Ur, in about 2100 B.C. It dealt largely with compensation for bodily injuries and with the penalties for witchcraft and runaway slaves. I'd like to tell about a few famous legal documents.

One of most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up in about 1758 B.C. by Hammurabi, a king of Babylonia. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple to the Babylonian god Marduk so that it could be read by every citizen. The code covered crime, divorce and marriage, the settlement of debts, inheritance and property contracts etc. Punishment under the code was often harsh. The cruel principle of revenge was observed- an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

In the seventh century B.C. Draco drew up the first comprehensive written code of laws. Under Draco's code death was the punishment for most offences. Thus, the term draconian usually applies to extremely harsh measures. The following document is the Magna Carta. The idea that government was not all-powerful first appeared in the Magna Carta or Great Charter, which King John signed in 1215 under the threat of civil war. The Magna Carta established the principle of limited government, in which the power of the monarch, or government, was limited. This document provided for protection against unjust punishment and the loss of life, liberty and property except according to law. It stipulated that no citizen could be punished or kept in prison without a fair trial. It came in time to be regarded as a cornerstone of British liberties.

The next document I'm going to speak about is the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights provided the foundation on which the government rested after the Revolution of 1688. The Revolution settlement made monarchy clearly conditional on the will of Parliament and provided a freedom from arbitrary government of which most Englishmen were notably proud of during the 18^th century. A number of clauses sought to eliminate royal interference in parliamentary matters, stressing that elections must be free and that members of Parliament must have complete freedom a speech. The act also dealt with the proximate succession to the throne.

It is necessary to say some words about the Napoleon's Code. The code was a triumphant attempt to create a legal system that treated all citizens as equals without regard to their rank or previous privileges. It was also so clearly written that it could be read and understood by ordinary people and many of its principles are still in force today. It was the first Civil code.

Among the modern legal documents are the United Nations Charter and the General Declaration of the Human Rights worth mentioning.

The United Nations Charter is the universal contract of a special sort and value, it has defined the rights and duties of member states of the organization; it also fixed the conventional principles and norms of international law.

The General Declaration of the Human Rights, accepted in 1948 in the first source in history of the international relations. It is the document of universal character, which proclaimed the list of the rights and freedoms of the person and the citizen.

In the conclusion, I'd like to say, that each lawyer should know all laws mentioned above. If we don't know our past the future is closed for us.