LAW 635SEM - The Magna Carta

This is a seminar on the history and meaning of Magna Carta, the thirteenth-century English charter commonly described as the origin of due process and Anglo-American constitutionalism more generally. We will begin with three weeks studying the text of the Magna Carta, focusing on its treatment of taxes, law and justice, and the church. We will then turn to a historical study of the causes of Magna Carta, including the character of king John and his treatment of the barons who revolted, the events that immediately preceded the charter?s negotiation at Runnymede, and the political and legal ideas that underlay the its text. Lastly, we will conclude the seminar with three to four classes on later interpretations of Magna Carta. We will consider how it came to be associated with the idea of due process of law, the role it played in the American Revolution, and its effects on modern American law. Students will be graded on the basis of a seminar paper on any topic related to Magna Carta.

Credits: 3