Yesterday was July 4, when we as a nation commemorate the act of declaring our independence from what we perceived as oppressive government from Britain under George III. Yet it all started in Britain 800 years ago on June 15, 1215, when a group of barons took the first step to rid themselves of the oppression of King John. They met on the field of Runnymede, equidistant between John’s forces at Windsor and London, where the barons had their stronghold.
John was a wicked king, so much so that there has never been another British king by that name. Shortly after his death one of his contemporaries quipped, that foul as hell is, it is even more foul with the presence of King John.
Under the threat of alliance with France, the barons forced John to seal (it was never signed) what became known as Magna Carter, guaranteeing certain rights to free men and freedom to the church. It included the famous pledge:
“No free man shall be taken, imprisoned, stripped of his rights or possessions, outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will We proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgement of his peers and by the law of the land. To no one will We sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice. No taxes for military action may be levied in Our kingdom unless by Commom Counsel thereof. The City of London shall enjoy all its ancient liberties and free customs, both by land and by water. We also will and grant that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall enjoy all their liberties and free customs.”
Britain has no single written constitution itself, relying instead on a series of documents which, carried out over centuries, increased rights and liberties, beginning with Magna Carta. The framers of the Constitution of the United States borrowed heavily from Magna Carta, especially in the guarantees of our Bill of Rights. Inspiration for many of the freedoms we enjoy today can be traced to that document.
Of course, John resisted. Within days he appealed to the Pope, Innocent III, claiming that he was coerced and placing his kingdom under the Pope’s power, to which, of course, the Pope readily agreed.
A two-year period of civil war ensued, but the outcome was evidently in favor of the rights of free men. (At that time nothing was said about the freedom of serfs or women, although the charter did protect the inheritances of widows and provided them with the right not to have to remarry against their wills.)
It was the point in history when the Divine Right of kings was transferred to the God-given rights of the individual, as is also expressed in the United States Declaration of Independence.
A pilgrimage
Last month, 800 years later, I sat with my daughter, Nora Frances, and her husband, Vaughan McRae, on that same field of Runnymede, amazingly still preserved and undeveloped after all this time. There are monuments, including a statue of the queen, unveiled while we were there.
There is an area with a monument given by the American Bar Association. Six to eight hundred members of the ABA and their guests were present officially at the commemoration. A bronze work of art, The Jurors, consisting of twelve historically embossed chairs, was dedicated that day. Even so, the area had the feel of being just as it was those centuries ago.
We were there because an ancestor of ours, Robert Fitzwalter, was the leader of the barons who forced the agreement. (There is a whole other story there. You can Google it.) It seemed to us that it was simply a place we ought to be if we could. It was more like a pilgrimage than a vacation.
The day was sunny, but brisk. We had seats reserved through Magna Carta Dames and Barons that put us within easy viewing distance (about 50 yards) of the Queen; Prince Philip; Anne, the Princess Royal; and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge. Two huge screens on either side of the stage magnified the scene, through videos, and gave us an excellent view. William won my admiration when he knelt down to be at eye level with a group of children. He stayed there a few minutes, talking and laughing with them. His charm was reminiscent of his late mother, Princess Diana.
I felt incredibly fortunate, almost as if I were on, if not holy, at least revered ground. Of course, the ancient Greeks had a democracy; nevertheless, I felt as if we were at the site of the birth of our democracy. I am certainly not the first to observe that, although democracy may not be a perfect form of government, it is surely the best we have.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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