Signature that changed history: Magna Carta. Image:; wikimedia commons.

June 15, 1215. A field not far from London. An agreement recognized by a yielding king, revoked by a Pope, revived by a civil war, Magna Carta would continue to shape rights, legal systems. So too, the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon’s Temple, where enshrined was the rule of law, marked a change in history. Magna Carta’s 39th clause may have been among the first directives of trial by jury. To make certain everyone had access to the law, Magna Carta was proclaimed annually, read aloud in a resounding voice by the sheriff. In modern times, issues raised by Magna Carta continue to evolve, as our world grows more inclusive.

“Why is Magna Carta Important?” BBC, June 15, 2015. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-33114817

“Complicated Legacy,” Colleen Walsh, Harvard Gazette, June 12, 2015. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/06/magna-carta-overrated/

Building the World Blog by Kathleen Lusk Brooke and Zoe G Quinn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.