In the United States, we have a very important
document called the Bill of Rights. The
Bill of Rights is a list of rights that everyone
enjoys. These laws were written down a long time ago, when our country
was first formed, so that everyone would know their rights. This
document was saved and protected, so that all citizens today and in
the future would enjoy the same rights.
Over the years, new rights have been added to the
list. These new rights are called Amendments. One of the added
amendments freed the slaves. Another gave American women the right to
vote. These are important rights. They also have been written
down, saved, and protected.
The same was true with Justinian's Code. Emperor
Justinian wanted to save in writing all the laws that began in ancient
Rome. Those laws were called the Twelve Tables. He collected up all
the old laws, and added new ones that gave his people even more
rights.
One of the laws in Justinian's Code stated that a
person was innocent until proven guilty. Can you think of any country
today that has this same law? Well, sure - we do! Many countries do,
including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Belgium, and others.
It is not easy to write laws that are fair for
everyone. Our founding fathers did a great job with the Bill of
Rights, but then they some great teachers, one of which was Justinian!
Justinian wrote laws that were fair for everyone because he thought
about the needs of all the people. He did such a good job way back in
500 CE that new and existing governments still refer to his laws as
guides when creating laws for their own countries today!
