Today, June 15, is the birthday of the Magna Carta. Originally called Articles of the Barons, it was signed by King John on that day in 1215 to settle a dispute he was having with those Barons. And the Magna Carta became an historic document -- one of the most famous documents in the world.
The part that has endured multiple iterations is the following:
No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.
To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.
While the language might not spell it out as precisely as we would have liked, it has been interpreted to mean such things as the right to individual liberty and to trial by jury.
Let's all raise a glass of gin in honor of Magna Carta Day. What the heck, World Gin Day was just last week, so drink the whole bottle.
P.S. Anyone educated in the public school system in the last few years probably didn't get taught about this. And if they did, they probably shut their school down because of the reference to "free man." But another bit of ignored history: it was the "free man" who ultimately outlawed slavery.
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