Charter
A charter is a formal document issued by a government that grants specific rights or permissions to individuals or organizations. Historically, charters originated in the Middle Ages, primarily used to allow armies to enter cities safely or to establish new cities under royal authority. Over time, their purpose evolved, and they became instruments for founding political entities, including colonies and trade companies. Notably, many early American colonies were established through charters from Great Britain, which delineated their governance and operational mandates.
In contemporary contexts, charters serve various functions, such as authorizing the formation of political bodies, municipalities, or non-profit organizations. They outline the organizational structure, governance, and legal framework for these entities. Additionally, charters are commonly associated with articles of incorporation, where an organization articulates its objectives and operational plans for formal recognition. Modern applications of charters also include project charters, which guide project development and management. Overall, charters play a crucial role in facilitating governance, organization, and structured development across diverse sectors.
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Charter
A charter is a document granted by a government that gives specific rights to individuals. Charters have been used throughout history to grant land rights. While charters are no longer used for that purpose, they are still in use today. Instead of granting land privileges, they grant permission to incorporate, form a non-profit, or open a school.
Historic Charters
Charters originated during the Middle Ages. At the time, kings divided their kingdoms among nobles, who were required to raise and maintain an army within their land. Most cities were armed and fortified against invaders. Marching an army into another city unannounced might be construed as a declaration of war. Charters were signed, official documents that allowed an army to enter another city with its arms. Charters were a declaration of trust and an assurance that the other army would cause no harm to the city while it stayed within its borders.
Over time, charters were written for another purpose. They were formal permission from the king to found a new city. This type of charter specified any conditions for founding the new city, the location in which the city should be built, and any lands the city would control.
From that point, charters developed into general documents granting permissions for founding political entities, such as a city, a colony, an army, a trade company, or even a ship. For example, many of the original American colonies were founded with charters from Great Britain. The famous East India Company, a trading company founded by Great Britain to break the Dutch trade monopoly in Indonesia, was started with a charter. The charter granted a number of established merchants permission to trade in the East Indies, provided they obeyed a set of provisions set forth by the British Crown. Under the terms of the charter, the East India Company was even permitted to raise and keep its own standing navy.
Modern Charters
Charters are still used in governmental interactions but now have a variety of purposes. In some cases, charters are used to approve the formation of a political body or organization such as a political committee or a political action group. There is even a charter declaring the formation of the United Nations.
Charters may be used to declare the creation of a municipality. This type of charter might indicate the legal structure of the new municipality, as well as some of its laws. It might also include the physical boundaries of the municipality and the organization of the municipality's government.
Most commonly, charters are used in articles of incorporation. In these cases, an organization with the intent to incorporate writes a charter that includes its goals and plans to achieve those goals. It submits the articles to a governing body. If that governing body approves the charter, the organization will officially be incorporated.
Bibliography
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Avalon. "Fundamental Orders o 1639." Avalon, Yale Law School, 1603, Avalon. www.avalon.law.yale.edu/17th‗century/order.asp. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
Avalon. "General Charter for Those who Discover Any New Passages, Havens, Countries, or Places; March 27, 1614." Avalon, Yale Law School, 1603, Avalon, www.avalon.law.yale.edu/17th‗century/charter‗010.asp. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
History. "Charter Granted to the East India Company." History, A+E Networks, 2016, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charter-granted-to-the-east-india-company. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
Investopedia. "Corporate Charter." Investopedia, Investopedia, LLC., 2016, www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corporatecharter.asp. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
Torpedo Bay Navy Museum. "History of Charters." Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, New Zealand Navy, 2016, www.navymuseum.co.nz/history-of-charters/. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
USLegal. "Charter Law & Legal Definition." USLegal, USLegal, Inc., 2016. www.definitions.uslegal.com/c/charter. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.
Welk, Michelle. "Timeline: A Brief History of Charters." The Notebook, Philadelphia Public School Network, 2010, www.legacy.thenotebook.org/summer-2010/102622/brief-history-charters. Accessed 2 Nov. 2016.