The Magna Carta. Image is in the public domain because its copyright expired.

The Magna Carta. Image is in the public domain because its copyright expired.

Happy 800th Birthday to the Magna Carta!

Yes, it’s that old.

Most of us have heard of the Magna Carta, of course, but how many actually know what it is? Since I was an American Studies major and not a general history major, I didn’t actually learn the story behind this important document until I was an adult, homeschooling my own kids. But rather than rehash what I’ve learned in my own words (lest I get something wrong), head over to the National Archives, and also (especially?) the British Library, to learn from the carefully assembled online exhibits on the document.

Today at 7pm (Eastern?), the National Archives and friends are presenting a special program on YouTube, of all places. Check it out:

The National Archives and the Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) present a discussion on the influence of Magna Carta on American constitutionalism, from the nation’s earliest days to the present. 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; Louis Fisher, Constitutional Scholar, author of “Magna Carta and Executive Power” in the American Bar Association’s recently published book Magna Carta and the Rule of Law; and Bruce O’Brien, Magna Carta expert from the University of Mary Washington.