The Tie That Binds the U. S. Constitution and Magna Carta
The United States owes a debt of gratitude to an 800-year-old English document that’s become a world-wide symbol of liberty & the rule of law.
Collectively, the Declaration of Independence, the U. S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are known as the United States of America’s Charters of Freedom. Original copies of all three documents are on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC.
Constitution Week, which is observed each year from September 17–23, is a great time to explore these foundational documents. It’s also a good time to explore other documents that have played an important role in the development of the United States.
One of these documents is Magna Carta. The National Archive Museum displays a rare 1297 copy of Magna Carta in its Records of Rights exhibit, but why does it hold a place of pride in a museum focused on America’s history?
Magna Carta is an English document created in 1215 to resolve a political crisis between King John (best known to many Americans as the apocryphal villain in Robin Hood) and a group of rebellious barons. Among other things, Magna Carta — the Great Charter — guaranteed the barons protection from illegal imprisonment, the right to a trial by jury, limitations on…
