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Hammurabi was a Babylonian King who reigned from 1792-1750 B.C.E. over the area that is now the Middle East. Made the first codified set of laws, and columns with the laws written on them were placed throughout his empire. The law was harsh and emphasized punishment over rehabilitation. These laws introduced the 'eye for an eye' principal, and was harsh with the death penalty being listed over 30 times. Today, our legal system is all codified and we have prescribed punishments for crimes.
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Byzantine Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora came up with a set of laws known as Justinian's Code. They conquered much of the previous Roman Empire and needed rules to govern their vast empire. Using practitioners of law, they came up with a codified set of laws that governed their society. Their code emphasized equality under the law and is the basis for modern European legal systems.
This code is also considered the basis of civil law, which is used today. -
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A team of judges was made by the King of England to make verdicts more similar and fair throughout England. They first introduced the idea of using precedent in cases, or using case law. Case law is a big part of common law. This period also fist introduced appeals, because any decision made by the judges could be appealed to the monarch. Today, we use precedent and appeals in out legal system. Everyone knows what to expect as a possible verdict when going into their trial. -
The Magna Carta is a document created by the nobility in England to put a cap on the power of the monarchy. The nobility was forced into action by King John, who was a tyrant and abused his power. Introduced the Rule of Law, which means that all people must follow the law, including the monarchy. Habeas Corpus, or the right to a fair trial in a reasonable amount of time, was also included in this document. Society today still abides by the principals that were first introduced in this document. -
5 different tribes in modern day New York state warred with each other for generations. Thanks to the great Peacemaker and a small group of people, they all agreed to The Great Peace, which was an agreement to lay down their weapons and live together in harmony. They developed a sort of democracy with many people in place to keep the power in check. All members were considered equals, and they had a constitution made from Wampum belts. Today, we have constitutions and peace with other nations. -
The Tuscarora nation joined The Great Peace in 1722, and became the sixth nation to commit to living in peace.
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The French Civil Code was made in the years leading up to 1804, and Napoleon Bonaparte was a key player in the development of the code. This code emphasized men's equality under the law. It allowed for religious freedoms, property rights and disbanded the feudal system in France. Women's rights were restricted and were considered property of the men.
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Today, Canadians have property rights and religious freedoms from the French Civil Code. Our legal system was greatly impacted, especially in more French-dominant like Quebec. Their civil code, or the Civil Code of Lower Canada (1866) was created as a blend of both English and French laws. Quebec's legal system was heavily impacted by the French Civil Code and is still the only province with a Civil Code today.
