VIDEO

Foundations of Freedom | The Magna Carta

Famed actor James Earl Jones reads excerpts from the Declaration of Independence during an unveiling of another important document, the Magna Carta. The English charter, written in 1215, protected citizens' rights to basic freedoms and served as a basis for the Declaration of Independence.

Also in the video, children participating in a Constitution Center summer camp perform a short play showing how the English citizens, frustrated with King John's extreme taxation policies, forced the king to sign the charter to guarantee their rights.

The Magna Carta will be on display at the Constitution Center through July 25, 2007.

JEFFREY A. HAINES and SAMANTHA TEMPLETON / Inquirer Online Producers

 

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