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Article: Magna Carta is great - but not Great Britain
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- June 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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HAVE you read Magna Carta lately? Readers of the BBC History
magazine (of whom I am one) have recently voted Magna Carta Day, 15
June, as their top choice for a putative national day for Britain.
Magna Carter, the "Great Charter", was the peace treaty signed in
1215 between King John (of Robin Hood fame) and his uppity barons, in
which certain seminal freedoms were enshrined.
It is always best to check if a given date has any bad
connotations before turning it into a national holiday. Actually, 15
June has some good memories. In 1924, it was the day when Native
Americans were finally granted US citizenship and, in 1919, it was
the day Alcock and Brown became the first people to fly the ...