Our rights were won at Runnymede: the Magna Carta :: Vanishing American

On June 15, 1215, the historic document called the Magna Carta
was signed by King John at Runnymede, Essex.

The National Archives page on the Magna Carta and its American legacy tells how that document inspired our Founding Fathers, and laid out many of the basic ideas which were later enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights

"Before penning the Declaration of Independence--the first of the American Charters of Freedom--in 1776, the Founding Fathers searched for a historical precedent for asserting their rightful liberties from King George III and the English Parliament. They found it in a gathering that took place 561 years earlier on the plains of Runnymede, not far from where Windsor Castle stands today. There, on June 15, 1215, an assembly of barons confronted a despotic and cash-strapped King John and demanded that traditional rights be recognized, written down, confirmed with the royal seal, and sent to each of the counties to be read to all freemen. The result was Magna Carta--a momentous achievement for the English barons and, nearly six centuries later, an inspiration for angry American colonists.''

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