The story of our country really began way back in the history of England in the year 1215 when King John of England was forced by some of his barons to sign a document called the Magna Carta. This document, among other things, prevented the king from taxing the barons without their consent. King John had driven England nearly to bankruptcy because he spent so much money to fund his continual participation in the Crusades. (The Crusades were a period in history when Christian knights tried to take back the Holy Land, which had been conquered by the Muslims.) The barons were tired of being...