JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers HANDLE WITH CARE—Chris Woods, conservator of England's Lincoln Cathedral, gingerly places an original parchment document of the Magna Carta—one of four in existence—into its case at the Reagan Library last week. The "Great Charter," which dates back to 1215, helped shape English Common Law and eventually the U.S. Constitution with its guarantees of certain inalienable rights. Under the cover of night, a nearly 800-year-old document slipped into the archives at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley earlier this month.

Following a long flight from the parchment's usual home at the Lincoln Cathedral in England, the document was handdelivered in a secure container flanked by security guards then locked up in storage overnight.

The following morning, the Magna Carta, or "Great Charter," emerged from storage to be placed, ever so gently, into an airtight case.

The display case will be the centuries-old parchment's home for five months, as part of the museum's latest exhibit, "Magna Carta: The Essence of Democracy."

The exhibit now on display explores why the Magna Carta of 1215 is widely viewed as one of the most important documents in the history of American freedom and how it became the cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution.

"Even though it is not American history, arguably, that's the birth certificate of freedom," the library's executive director Duke Blackwood said. "Just to be that close to such an important document, to a piece of history—it's goosebumps."

It took a year for the library to arrange the display of the Magna Carta, which is the oldest document the museum has ever had on display, Blackwood said.

The exhibit will also feature images and three-dimensional scenes to provide visitors with the history surrounding the document's creation.

The charter dates back to 13th-century England, under the rule of King John, who angered the barons with his high taxes, harsh fines and costly unsuccessful wars.

Fueled by their grievances and backed by their armies, the 25 barons demanded that John reinstate the civil liberties and rights previously granted to them under the Charter of Liberties of Henry I.

Facing an armed revolt, King John met with the barons on June 15, 1215, on the fields of Runnymede near Windsor Castle. There, he conceded to all the requests of the barons and affixed his seal to a formal grant that later became the Magna Carta.

It's believed that 13 copies of the charter were initially issued in the weeks following the meeting at Runnymede and that 40 copies were issued in total, said Chris Woods, Lincoln Cathedral conservator.

The influence of the Magna Carta has been far greater and longer lasting than King John could have imagined, as he authorized the charter knowing it would be nullified almost immediately.

"He signed it in full knowledge that the Pope would nullify it," said Woods, who traveled to Simi Valley from England with the document. "A clever piece of diplomacy on his part."

However, the charter was reissued following King John's death in 1216, and its elements of freedom have persisted.

The rights set forth in the great charter evolved into English Common Law and influenced American settlers, as seen in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Of its 65 clauses, two stand out as key democratic principles: "No free man shall be arrested, or imprisoned, or deprived of his property . . . unless by legal judgment of his peers, or by the law of the land" and "To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or justice."

"People, not only in America but in other counties, are enthusiastic about it as an icon of democracy," Woods said.

Court scribes wrote the Magna Carta on a square piece of sheepskin parchment using quill pens and iron gall ink. Though the document is 800 years old, the small Latin script is still visible today.

To keep the $30-million charter in good condition, its environment is carefully monitored: It must only be exposed to very dim light and kept at 64 degrees and 53 percent humidity.

"It's really important to preserve our history and not lose sight of it," Woods said.

After all this time, the slightly weatheredlooking contract is mostly intact. Only the king's seal is missing.

There are four surviving 1215 copies of the Magna Carta, only three of which are legible. Two are in the British Library and one in the Salisbury Cathedral Chapter House. The one on loan from the Lincoln Cathedral is the only traveling Magna Carta.

Woods said he hopes visitors to the library's exhibit take away an appreciation for the value of the 800-year-old treasure.

"I hope they get a sense of history," he said. "That democracy and the rights of man has been a fairly consistent struggle . . . and be proud of American democracy."

The exhibit will continue through Sat., June 20.

For more information, visit www.reaganfoundation.org or call (800) 410-8354.