Magan Carta Legacy Founded 800 Years Ago : America

 

As much as those that want to destroy us from within and without, the American people still believe we are here for a reason.

Magna Carta's Legacy For America's Founding Principles
by Colby Ferland

Magna Carta, enacted 800 years ago last year, had a tremendous legacy not only in Britain but also in the United states. British Member of the European Parliament Daniel Hannan and scholar A.E. Dick Howard explain:

It is difficult to overstate the importance of Magna Carta in the development of Anglo–American law. English law treats it as “the Bible of the English Constitution.” It stands as proof that a written document can make important revisions to the law, fend off tyrannical government officials, restrain even the sovereign’s power, and grant rights to the entire community—an enduring legacy that helped to establish “the rule of law.”

Though it was written eight centuries ago in Britain, Magna Carta birthed many of the core values that are found in the American Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Magna Carta tells us that no person–regardless of economic, political, or social stature–is above the rule of law. It tells us that everyone is equal in their observance of the law. The Founding Fathers took these lessons to heart when they forged the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Hannan and Howard cite William Pitt the Elder, an 18th-century British statesman:

"The poorest man in his cottage may bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be dilapidated. The roof may have holes in it. The rain may enter. The winds may enter. But the King of England may not enter, not all his forces may cross the threshold of that dilapidated tenant."

Do you think America today follows the spirit of Magna Carta?