0:11 this is the story of an 800-year-old
0:14 medieval document known as Magna carter
0:17 or the great Charter it's one of the
0:20 most famous documents in the world but
0:23 how did this old piece of parchment
0:25 become such a powerful symbol of our
0:26 rights and
0:30 freedoms Magna carter was granted in 125
0:33 and established for the first time that
0:35 everyone even the king had to obey the
0:38 law when Magna carter was printed for
0:40 the first time it became the first law
0:43 that all English lawyers studied but
0:45 many people didn't realize it
0:48 significance Shakespeare wrote a play
0:50 about King John in which he failed to
0:55 mention Magna carter in the 1600s
0:57 English lawyers used Magna carter to
1:00 challenge King Charles I at this time
1:02 the king could ignore Parliament and
1:05 imprison anyone who opposed him inspired
1:08 by Magna carter sir Edward cook wrote
1:11 the Petition of Right which set out to
1:14 limit the king's Powers around the same
1:17 time Magna carter was taken overseas to
1:19 America by the first British settlers
1:22 many American colonies based their own
1:26 laws on Magna carter then in the 1770s
1:28 the Americans fought for independence
1:32 from Britain Magna cataa became a symbol
1:34 of American Liberty and its principles
1:37 were echoed in the Declaration of
1:40 Independence and the Bill of
1:44 Rights in 18th century Britain Magna
1:46 cataa was used to protest against the
1:49 censorship of the press at this time
1:51 people could be imprisoned without trial
1:54 for criticizing the king when newspaper
1:57 publisher John wils was arrested for
2:00 insulting King George iiii he used Magna
2:03 carter to fight for his freedom he
2:05 claimed that ancient English Liberties
2:08 were under threat Wilson's campaign
2:10 showed Magna carter on everything from
2:13 posters to teapots you could say that
2:15 Magna carter went
2:18 viral in the 1800s very few people had
2:21 the right to vote in Britain a
2:23 nationwide movement of working people
2:26 known as the chartists inspired by Magna
2:29 carter created a people's Charter to
2:32 fight for all men to have the vote then
2:35 in the early 1900s the suffer Jets used
2:38 Magna carter to argue that all women
2:41 should have the right to vote too
2:44 increasingly people across the Empire
2:46 argued for rights equal to those of British
2:47 British
2:50 citizens Gandy fought successfully for
2:53 greater freedom of Indian settlers in
2:56 South Africa he described the resulting
2:58 document as the Magna carter of our
3:01 Liberty in this land land in his famous
3:04 speech from the doc Nelson Mandela
3:07 declared his admiration for Magna carter
3:09 and for Western democracy which he
3:12 contrasted with the oppressive South African
3:13 African
3:16 regime perhaps the most significant
3:18 influence of Magna Carta today is the
3:22 universal Declaration of Human Rights
3:24 written after the atrocities of World
3:27 War II the Declaration states that
3:30 people around the world are protected by
3:32 fundamental human rights regardless of
3:37 their citizenship race gender or beliefs
3:39 Ellena Rosevelt famously said that the
3:42 Declaration May well become the
3:46 international magnata of all men
3:49 everywhere although very few of Magna
3:52 carta's original Clauses remain valid in
3:55 English law it continues to inspire
3:58 people worldwide not a bad Legacy for an
