The document that significantly influenced Patriot leaders in North America to adopt the idea of self-government was the Magna Carta, also known as the "Great Charter." The Magna Carta was originally issued in 1215 in England and represented a historic agreement between King John and a group of English barons who sought to limit the power of the monarchy and protect their own rights and privileges.
The Magna Carta introduced the concept that the king was not above the law and that certain fundamental rights and legal procedures should be upheld. It laid the foundation for the idea of limited government, rule of law, and protection of individual rights. This document had a profound impact on the development of democratic and self-governing principles, which played a significant role in the thinking of American Patriots as they sought independence from British rule during the American Revolution.