This book examines the history and influence of
Magna Carta in British and American history. In a series of essays written by
notable British specialists, it considers the origins of the
document in the political and religious contexts of the thirteenth century,
the relevance of its principles to the seventeenth
century disputes that led to the Civil War, the uses made of
Magna Carta to justify the American Revolution, and its inspiration
of the radical-democratic movement in Britain in the early nineteenth century.
The introductory essay considers the celebration of Magna
Carta's 800th anniversary in 2015 in relation to ceremonials and
remembrance in Britain in general. Given as papers to a joint conference
of British and Chinese historians in Beijing in 2015, these essays provide a
clear and insightful overview of the origins and impact of a medieval document
that has shaped the history of the world.

The open access edition of this book can be found at http://humanities-digital-library.org/index.php/hdl/catalog/book/goldman.