Interdependence day and Magna Charta: James Hamilton's public diplomacy in the Anglo-world, 1907–1940s

Abstract

This article discusses the use of the Magna Charta as a universal symbol of democracy in the Anglo-world in the early twentieth century. It focuses on the role played by one group, the International Magna Charta Day Association (IMCDA), in a global movement to unite and educate the English-speaking peoples through the promotion of the great charter. In searching for a worldwide Anglo-Saxon patriotism, this society promoted strong connections and the laudation of what it called ‘Interdependence Day’. This article concludes that although the IMCDA may have been only one element in the widening and strengthening of Anglo-world connections, it was an important one that has been previously neglected.