American barons in our economy must be required to read the Magna Carta recently discovered to be "real" at Harvard

Magna Carta "grand encore"❗ 

An original Magna Carta, at Harvard, in 2025 — Wow, what good timing❗

Discovery of rare document on the rule of law has resonance for our times:

Dear Editor: A discovery that Harvard unknowingly had an original of the 1300 Magna Carta, the document that moved human history a small but significant step forward by obliging a monarch to respect the rights of barons, is almost like a teasing reminder from the spirited ghost of history (“Harvard’s Magna Carta ‘copy’ an original,” Metro, May 19).

When academic institutions are under siege, it’s a reminder of the immense value of those institutions, their libraries, and their commitment to preserving all the records of our shared culture.

When learned expertise is held in contempt by many, it’s a reminder of the value of scholarship and such thorough knowledge of one’s field that British academic David Carpenter was able to recognize the original while reviewing Harvard Law School’s digitized collection.

And, of course, it’s a reminder of how far backward we are sliding when even the barons of the modern world — the Bezoses, the Zuckerbergs, the Redstones, the Musks — have decided to bend their knees to absolute power.

One might even be forgiven for wondering whether the spirit of history decided to give Harvard a little pat on the back for not bending its knee or its principles.

From Julia Glendon in Lunenburg, Massachusetts (Worcester County)

Dear Editor: We are a nation that does not bow to a single ruler

The discovery of an original copy of the Magna Carta is a reminder of the principles of governance that have guided this nation for nearly 250 years. May this finding lead us to remain a nation that goes by the rule of law rather than become one that declares fealty to a single individual.

From Edwin Andrews in Malden, Massachusetts