American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

Magna Carta (June 15, 1215) known as the "cornerstone of English liberty," was a constitutional charter signed by King John I of England (December 24, 1167-October 18, 1216) in the meadow of Runnymede, under pressure from the English barons. This was the first time the absolute power of a king was limited by law, guaranteeing certain rights to his subjects. In background, 'Norse' Vikings invaded the area that came to be called Normandy, in northern France around the year 911 AD. The Norman ruler, William I, married a Christian wife, Poppa of Bayeux, and was baptized in 912 AD. His...

Henry de Bracton (c.1210-1268) was a medieval jurist and priest whose treatise on Common Law and procedure provided a framework for the early English legal system. During the reign of England's King Henry III, Henry de Bracton wrote in 1240, "De Legibus et Consuetudinibus Angliae" ("On the laws and customs of England") which borrowed from the Justinian Code (Corupus Iurus Civilis), compiled by the Byzantine Roman Emperor Justinian in 534 AD. De Legibus was the first encyclopedia of English Common Law, described as "the first great book on English law" and "the crown and flower of English jurisprudence," providing a...

Alfred the Great (c.849-October 26, 899) ruled the Britons from 871 AD to 899 AD. Alfred was for England what Charlemagne was for France. In 865 AD, pagan Vikings from Scandinavia, called 'Danes', invaded England and destroyed cities, churches, schools and libraries. Their last opposition was 23-year-old King Alfred, who they forced into the swampy, tidal marshes of Somerset. Alfred rallied the Anglos and the Saxons and began a resistance in 878 AD. According to biographer Bishop Asser's The Life of King Alfred, 893 AD: “Alfred attacked the whole pagan army fighting ferociously in dense order, and by divine will...

Brendan of Clonfert (c.484-c.577) called "the Navigator" or "the Voyager," is one of the earliest Irish saints following Patrick. The Bishop of Clonfert, Brendan was renowned for his seven year voyage, beginning around 545 AD, across the Atlantic to the "The Land of the Promised Saints which God will give us on the last day," or as it was also called "The Isle of the Blessed." The St. Brendan Society believes that Brendan's Isle of the Blessed was America, making Brendan and his band of monks possibly the first Europeans to reach America. A large stained glass window commemorates Brendan's...

Code of Saint Patrick (c.440) was brought to the British Isles and Europe by Irish monks as they evangelized. When Roman troops had withdrawn from Britain in 410, and when the Roman Empire fell in 476, the Code of Patrick increasingly superseded Latin Law in influencing the development of English Common Law. English Common Law was eventually brought by colonists to America, influencing American Law, as referenced in New York's 1777 Constitution: <Such parts of the common law of England...as together did form the law of the said colony...shall...continue as the law of this State.> 0440CP001 Saint Patrick (c.389-March 17,...