Magna Carta and its American Legacy

Written By: Janel McCarthy  |  Posted: Monday, September 27th, 2010

(National Archives and Records Administration)
http://www.magnacharta.com/american_legacy.htm

Before penning the Declaration of Independence - the first of the American Charters of Freedom - in 1776, the Founding Fathers searched for a historical precedent for asserting their rightful liberties from King George III and the English Parliament. They found it in a gathering that took place 561 years earlier on the plains of Runnymede, not far from where Windsor Castle stands today. There, on June 15, 1215, an assembly of barons confronted a despotic and cash-strapped King John and demanded that traditional rights be recognized, written down, confirmed with the royal seal and sent to each of the counties to be read to all freemen.

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