The Constitution: What Happened at Runnymede

Up the River Thames 20 miles from London lies Runnymede, where King John in 1215 fixed his seal to a strip of parchment that Winston Churchill later called "the most famous milestone of our rights and freedom." That document was Magna Carta (Great Charter). Last week scores of bewigged and berobed British judges, in the company of dignitaries of foreign lands, gathered in London to celebrate Magna Carta's 750th birthday. The ceremonies were somber and simple. Australia's Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies reminded the listeners that Magna Carta established that "the law is king." And American Bar Association President...

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