800 Years of Magna Carta

[Music] this is the story of an 800-year-old medieval document known as Magna carter or the great Charter it's one of the most famous documents in the world but how did this old piece of parchment become such a powerful symbol of our rights and freedoms Magna carter was granted in 125 and established for the first time that everyone even the king had to obey the law when Magna carter was printed for the first time it became the first law that all English lawyers studied but many people didn't realize it significance Shakespeare wrote a play about King

John in which he failed to mention Magna carter in the 1600s English lawyers used Magna carter to challenge King Charles I at this time the king could ignore Parliament and imprison anyone who opposed him inspired by Magna carter sir Edward cook wrote the Petition of Right which set out to limit the king's Powers around the same time Magna carter was taken overseas to America by the first British settlers many American colonies based their own laws on Magna carter then in the 1770s the Americans fought for independence from Britain Magna cataa became a symbol of American

Liberty and its principles were echoed in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights in 18th century Britain Magna cataa was used to protest against the censorship of the press at this time people could be imprisoned without trial for criticizing the king when newspaper publisher John wils was arrested for insulting King George iiii he used Magna carter to fight for his freedom he claimed that ancient English Liberties were under threat Wilson's campaign showed Magna carter on everything from posters to teapots you could say that Magna carter went viral in the 1800s very few people

had the right to vote in Britain a nationwide movement of working people known as the chartists inspired by Magna carter created a people's Charter to fight for all men to have the vote then in the early 1900s the suffer Jets used Magna carter to argue that all women should have the right to vote too increasingly people across the Empire argued for rights equal to those of British citizens Gandy fought successfully for greater freedom of Indian settlers in South Africa he described the resulting document as the Magna carter of our Liberty in this land land in

his famous speech from the doc Nelson Mandela declared his admiration for Magna carter and for Western democracy which he contrasted with the oppressive South African regime perhaps the most significant influence of Magna Carta today is the universal Declaration of Human Rights written after the atrocities of World War II the Declaration states that people around the world are protected by fundamental human rights regardless of their citizenship race gender or beliefs Ellena Rosevelt famously said that the Declaration May well become the international magnata of all men everywhere although very few of Magna carta's original Clauses remain valid

in English law it continues to inspire people worldwide not a bad Legacy for an 800-year-old document [Music]