todaysdocument: Magna CartaEight hundred years ago on June 15, 1215, in a field at Runnymede, King J
todaysdocument: Magna CartaEight hundred years ago on June 15, 1215, in a field at Runnymede, King John of England affixed his seal to Magna Carta. Confronted by 40 rebellious barons, he consented to their demands in order to avert civil war. Magna Carta was written by a group of 13th-century barons to protect their rights and property against a tyrannical king. It is concerned with many practical matters and specific grievances relevant to the feudal system under which they lived. The interests of the common man were hardly apparent in the minds of the men who brokered the agreement. It also failed to resolve the conflict between King John and his barons, and was reissued several times after his death. But principles expressed in Magna Carta resonate to this day.During the American Revolution, Magna Carta served to inspire and justify action in liberty’s defense. The colonists believed they were entitled to the same rights as Englishmen, rights guaranteed in Magna Carta. They embedded those rights into the laws of their states and later into the Constitution and Bill of Rights.The document, written on parchment in 1297 with iron gall ink, is one of four surviving 1297 versions of Magna Carta in the world today and is on display at the National Archives, courtesy of philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. More about the enduring principles of Magna Carta at Featured Documents.The conservation and encasement of Magna Carta in 2012Celebrate the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta at the National Archives! -- source link