The United Kingdom loaned a copy of Magna Carta for display in the U.S. Capitol during the 1976 Bicentennial.
The loan was part of a series of international gifts and gestures connected with the American anniversary. The British government provided one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta for a special exhibition in Washington, D.C.
The document was displayed from June 3, 1976, until June 13, 1977. It was placed in a highly elaborate case designed by artist Louis Osman, featuring precious materials including gold, rubies, pearls, sapphires, diamonds, and white enamel.
A gold replica and the exhibition case remained in the United States after the original document was returned. Magna Carta was signed in 1215 and became an important symbol in later discussions of limited government and legal rights, although its original political and legal context was medieval England rather than the American Revolution.