Monday, June 8, 2015

Magna Carta and the Constitution at the National Archives

[We have the following announcement of a free panel discussion, Magna Carta and the Constitution, to be held Monday, June 15, at 7:00 p.m., National Archives, William G. McGowan Theater.]

To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, the National Archives and The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) present a discussion on the influence of Magna Carta on American constitutionalism, including its place in the charters of the American colonies, its impact on the era of the Founding Fathers, and its continued influence today. Moderated by Judge Royce Lamberth, Senior United States District Judge for the District of Columbia, panelists include: Jennifer Paxton, historian and medieval specialist, Catholic University of America; Robert Pallitto, author of In the Shadow of the Greater Charter; and Bruce O’Brien, Magna Carta expert from the University of Mary Washington, who served on scholar advisory Board for the Library of Congress’s Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor exhibit.

You can register for the Magna Carta and the Constitution panel discussion here or call 202-357-6814.

The panel discussion will be livestreamed online on June 15, so if you are unable to join us at the Archives, we encourage you to view the program online here.

The evening panel discussion is part of the National Archives’ larger Magna Carta Day celebration, which includes a lunchtime speaker, as well as Magna Carta Cake. You can learn more about the full National Archives Celebration here.

Update: A front-page (although below the fold) story in today's Washington Post: After 800 years, Britain finally asks: Do we need a written constitution?