american history tv on c-span3. on no 6th, a new magna carta displayed in washington. king john originally signed the document under pressure from his barons in england. american revolutionaries looked to the rights guaranteed by the mag that carta as they rebelled gengs the enlish crown. princess ann was present at the opening ceremony. this program runs about 45 minutes. good morning, ladies and gentlemen. i'm james billington, the 13th librarian of congress. it's a great pleasure to welcome you all to the library of congress and to this event

celebrating the opening of the library's latest exhibition, magna carta, muse and a mentor. i think it is indisputable that the library of congress has a special relationship with magna carta. we remember, of course, this institution's good fortune to have been called upon to safeguard the lincoln magna carta during world war ii. but as a repository of the accumulated knowledge of human civilization, the library of congress must also be acknowledged to be one of the best assets the united states possesses for participation in magna carta's greatest legacy, the preservation of the rule of law. the library began over two centuries ago as the principle reference collection for legal research, both for the congress and the united states supreme court.

it continues today to offer its unparalleled legal resources to all three branches of the united states government as well as to the governments of foreign states. this mission, the preservation of the rule of law, is inscribed on the very walls of the building in which we are standing, the thomas jefferson building, in paintings, mosaics in the ceiling, statues in the main reading room. there's a wonderful quote by the englishman richard hooker. "of law there can be no less acknowledged than that her voice is the harmony of the world." today's program embodies the spirit, i think, of that

quotation. we'll hear from not only our law librarian of congress, but from voices from the field of law, from our guests from the united kingdom and from voices that will sing appropriately enough about the law. beautiful voices such as we have just heard. it's my great honor now to recognize our special guests here on the stage. i'd like to recognize her royal highness, the princess royal. i would like to acknowledge also and recognize vice admiral sir tim lawrence, my wife, marjory, the most honorably, the marcus of lothian, the right honorable sir anthony hooper. together they represent legislative and judicial branches of the united kingdom. also phillip butler, dean of

lincoln cathedral, mr. david mao, the law librarian of congress and sir peter westmacott, british ambassador to the united states. also with us here today is sir robert worcester, chairman of the magna carta 800th anniversary celebration committee, the group responsible for coordinating the 800th century celebrations of the sealing of magna carta. that delegation from the inner and middle temples is here to represent two of the professional associations of the barristers of england and wales, lord egor judge, lord justice tomlinson, sir anthony hooper and the reverend robin griffith jones.

so i welcome you all, and i'm grateful for your participation in today's ceremony. this exhibition was organized by the library of congress in lin cathedral, bringing magna carta to the usa. we are immensely grateful to dean phillip butler for the loan of lincoln cathedral's 1215 magna carta to the exhibition. when the lincoln magna carta returns to england next year, it will be remembered with a brief commemorative event with three other copies that survived from 1215, two of which are kept by the british library, one of which is kept by salisbury cathedral. the british library will display the four surviving manuscripts for one historic day. it will be the first time they

have ever been exhibited together. the lincoln magna carta will then be moved to its permanent residence in a dedicated vault specially constructed this year as part of the lincoln castle revealed project. now, you may have noticed that the magna carta has come to the united states a full year ahead of the 800thiç2az/ anniversary. we are thrilled to be able to stage this exhibit leading up to the magna carta commemorations that are already in the works throughout the united kingdom and indeed the world. our exhibition complements the major magna carta exhibits being planned in the u.k. for 2015 as it tells the story from a unique american historical point of

view. our exhibition focuses on the impact that the interpreted principles of magna carta had on our founding fathers and the founding documents. it explores magna carta's strong influence on the constitutional law of the united states, and when legal scholars and historians look back on this milestone anniversary, it is our hope that the content of our exhibition will show how well england's most venerated exports, magna carta, forged the u.s.-british bond of law. i thank you, all of you, for joining us today enencourage you to visit the exhibition between now and january 19th. now, if you would please rise for the playing of the national

anthem. ♪ god save our gracious queen, long live our noble queen, god save the queen! ♪ ♪ send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us, god save the queen! ♪

♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare

the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪ ♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪

good morning, everyone. i have the privilege and the honor of serving as the law librarian of congress. the law library here at the library of congress is custodian to the world's largest legal collection of legal materials, now at over 2.8 million volumes. that collection continues to grow every year and includes materials from all jurisdictions all around the world. the exhibition which we're opening to the public today, magna carta, news and mentor, draws many things in the law library construction including medieval manuscripts, early printed works, judicial kigss. the law library is just one of the many collections whose items are represented in the exhibition. the 77 objects in the exhibit are from the variety of library congress divisions including manuscripts, prints and photographs, music, rare books, geography and maps. they've all been brought

together to count the narrative of the magna carta's contributions on the constitution of the united states. the items face magna carta's path on the baron's rebellion in england which gave rise to the charter. through the tumultuous era of the english civil war across the atlantic ocean to the new colonies in america and the united states constitution. the lincoln cathedral magna carta which we're extremely fortunate to on loan from england stands on the focus of this exhibition. it occupies a central location that the head of the gallery and is visible as visitors enter the galleria, walk through and when they exhibit -- before they commit they will see it once again. this intentional design allows the document to have a double impact on the viewer. the first time set against a backdrop of interpretive materials about medieval england

and the conflict between king john and the barons. and the second time illuminated by the subsequent history of magna carta's interpretation over time and its role in the rise of constitutional government in england and the united states. the exhibition highlights legal principles that find their roots in the 17th century interpretations of magna carta, principles that still resonate very much again with us here today. these include the representative -- the right of representative government, the right to due process of law, right to trial by jury, protection from unlawful imprisonment or the privilege is the writ of habeas corpus and the theory of limited government. to convey a sense of our presentation and the story of magna carta's influence on american liberties to a broader audience, we partner -- the

library of congress partnered with the american bar association to put together a traveling exhibit of some of the items we're showing in the exhibition today. that traveling exhibit will visit many american cities and be displayed at law schools, libraries, courthouses and legal conferences. it will even make a special appearance next year in london in june. next month on december 9th the library will hold a symposiums on the endearing legacy of the great charter. at that time we'll bring together legal scholars, practitioners of law, members of congress in united states supreme court to talk about magna carta's continuing impact on political thought. it's our thought that symposium will encourage new ideas and avenues of research on the ideas that emerge from magna carta and the tradition that interprets it. >> you can see the rest of that ceremony on the 800th anniversary of the magna carta at c-span.org/history. coming up tonight on american history tv, the history of the american west. first, california during the 19th century and the role of

wealthy businessman pio pico while it was under mexican rule. then we get a sense of how native american tribes interacted on the great plains. and a discussion on how rocky mountain national park was formed. all that tonight on american history tv on c-span3. today on c-span3 starting about 1:00 p.m. eastern, discussions on water, food, and health. we begin with maude barlow. then a panel looks at the idea of food as a basic human right. that's followed by senate hearings on personally tailored medical treatments and childhood vaccinations. good morning. it's thursday, aust