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Magna Carta Lecture Series – Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution

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The Law Library will host Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, for the next program in the Magna Carta lecture series  on Tuesday, September 16 at 1:00 p.m., in the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the Library’s James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave., S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University. Photo Credit: © Harold Shapiro
Akhil Reed Amar, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University. Photo Credit: © Harold Shapiro

Professor Amar’s lecture will address the grand project of American constitutionalism, past, present, and future.  Based on research from his two most recent books–America’s Constitution: A Biography and America’s Unwritten Constitution, Professor Amar will highlight the ways in which the American constitutional experience has both drawn upon and broken with English constitutional precursors such as Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights of 1689.

This program is part of the Law Library’s annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day (September 17) –a federal holiday that is observed each year to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, and to “recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.”

We thank the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Law Library of Congress for their co-sponsorship of the Magna Carta lecture series, and encourage you to learn about the traveling exhibition Magna Carta: Enduring Legacy 1215-2015. In order to raise awareness about Magna Carta and its enduring legacy, the American Bar Association has partnered with the Law Library to develop a high-quality traveling exhibit to complement the Library’s exhibit.  Magna Carta: Enduring Legacy 1215-2015 features spectacular images from the Library’s exhibit along with supporting text printed on freestanding banners that tell the story of Magna Carta and its catalytic role in promoting the rule of law.

We hope you can join us! For those not able to attend the program, we will have a member of the In Custodia Legis team live tweet the event via Twitter @LawLibCongress, using #1215MCLC and #ConstitutionDay.

The exhibition “Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor” will celebrate the 800th anniversary of the first issuance of Magna Carta. Opening November 6, 2014 and running through January 19, 2015, the 10-week exhibition will feature the Lincoln Cathedral Magna Carta, one of four remaining originals from 1215, along with other rare materials from the Library’s rich collections to tell the story of Magna Carta’s influence on the history of political liberty. 

Update: Event video added below.

Comments (2)

  1. Hello I want to attend the lacture

    • Thank you for your interest in the lecture. The program is open to the public and will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. The closest Metro station is Capitol South.

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