Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada: Democracy, Law, and Human Rights

by Carolyn Harris

Overview

A deep and gorgeous study of the Magna Carta and how it still influences our world.

The year 2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the Great Charter imposed on King John by his barons in the thirteenth century to ensure he upheld traditional customs of the nobility. Though it began as a safeguard of the aristocracy, over the past 800 years, the Magna Carta has become a cornerstone of democratic ideals for all.

After centuries of obscurity, the Magna Carta was rediscovered in the seventeenth century, and has informed numerous documents upholding human rights, including the American Declaration of Independence, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, and the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For Canadians, it has informed key documents from the Royal Proclamation of 1763 that shaped the then-British Colonies and their relations with First Nations, to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This book complements the 2015 Magna Carta Canada exhibition of the Durham Cathedral Magna Carta and Charter of the Forest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781459731127
Publisher:	Dundurn Press
Publication date:	05/26/2015
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Harris teaches history at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. She received her PhD in European history from Queen's Universityin 2012. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications including the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Smithsonian Magazine, and the BBC News Magazine, and she is a frequent guest on television and radio. She lives in Toronto.

Carolyn Harris enseigne l’histoire à l’École d’éducation permanente de l’Universityé de Toronto. Elle a reçu son doctorat en histoire de l’Europe de l’Universityé Queen’s en 2012. Ses écrits ont été publiés dans plusieurs publications, dont le Globe and Mail, le Ottawa Citizen, la revue Smithsonian et le BBC News Magazine. Elle est souvent invitée à des émissions de télévision et de radio. Elle habite à Toronto.

Table of Contents

Foreword by the Honourable Andrew Scheer, Speaker of the House of Commons 
Introduction: The Magna Carta at 800 


Part 1: The History of Kings, Barons, and the Commons 
Early Perceptions of Democracy 
 Life in Thirteenth-Century England 
The Making of King John 


Part 2: Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest 
The Reign of King John and the Coming of Magna Carta 
The Key Principles of Magna Carta 
The Repudiation of Magna Carta and the Death of King John 
The Charter of the Forest: Protection of the Commons 
The Provisions of Oxford and the Development of Parliament 


Part 3: The Decline and Revival of Magna Carta 
The Spread of Magna Carta’s Ideals from Barons to Commoners 
The Decline of Magna Carta Sir Edward Coke and the Rebirth of Magna Carta 
The Petition of Right in 1628 
The English Civil Wars and Interregnum 
The Bill of Rights and Emergence of Constitutional Monarchy 


Part 4: Magna Carta Abroad 
Canada’s First Constitutional Document: the Royal Proclamation of 1763 
The American Revolution 
The French Revolution 
Magna Carta and Canada’s Confederation in 1867 


Part 5: Magna Carta Today 
The Global Impact of Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest 
Surviving Copies of Magna Carta 
Magna Carta in Contemporary Canada 


Acknowledgements 
Appendix 1: The Magna Carta 2015 Exhibition 
Appendix 2: The Venues 
Appendix 3: The Durham Cathedral Magna Carta 
Notes 
For Further Reading 
Photo Credits

Editorial Reviews

Secondary school and public libraries across Canada should add Magna Carta and Its Gifts to Canada to their collections. Librarians and booksellers will want to recommend this volume to history buffs and civics teachers alike.

Canadian Materials

The book is divided into interesting chapters and is written in accessible language that will transport readers to an era when democracy was just starting to come of age.

Montrealfamilies.ca

Lavishly illustrated throughout, Dr. Harris gives a well-rounded history of the document and its creation and guiding principles. She explains the impact of the document right through to seeing it as a basis of the United Nations’ Universal declaration of Human Rights. Of particular interest to students may be the importance of the Magna Carta in Canada’s history through to the present day. As well, Dr. Harris looks at the impact of it on the American and French Revolution.

Resource Links

An easy read and brief introduction for those who are interested in the main historical developments relating to Magna Carta over the last eight hundred years.

Saskatchewan Law Review