(ConservativePapers.com) — The Magna Carta was sealed by King John of England on June 15th, 1215 and established that the king was subject to the law.
On last year’s anniversary, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wrote the following on Facebook:
799 years ago today a band of English barons forced the despotic King John to grant rights to “all the freeman in our kingdom” in a document that became a catalyst for freedom for millions of people around the world.
Magna Carta, as it is known, represented a revolution in governance. Its basic premise—that those in power must obey the law—is the foundation for constitutional liberty. Magna Carta said that a King is subject to the law, that he must abide by the law, that he cannot arbitrarily change the law by his own will, and that he is required to faithfully execute the law.
This hundreds of years old pact between England’s rulers and subjects is particularly meaningful now, as an increasingly imperial President has threatened our own freedoms. For even though America’s most powerful documents–the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights–have direct lineage to Magna Carta many of our nation’s leaders no longer seem to respect it.
Today, let us pledge to support leaders who will revere these extraordinary documents and once again honor the rule of law. It the difference between the success of nations and the fall of nations. History shows us that whenever animating principles of Magna Carta are celebrated freedom thrives; whenever they are disregarded tyranny rises.
Today, on the 799th anniversary of Magna Carta, let us raise up our voices to demand our leaders fulfill the promise Magna Carta made so long ago.
On this year’s 800th anniversary, Ted Cruz was at the Library of Congress to talk about the Magna Carta and recorded the following video:
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The Conservative Papers would also like to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta and encourage our readers to learn more about this pioneering document that helped lead to the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.