Random thoughts

In the last 1000 years, aside from the Magna Carta, is there any (political) document, where a legitimate argument can be made, asserting it to be more significant or important, than either the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, or the Bill of Rights. Granted, I am a fairly ignorant man, but I cannot think of any. The Napoleonic Code (Code civil des Français) could be put forward, but it was eventually ended, or so heavily modified as to no longer exist in form.

That being said... has there ever been, in the history of the world, a greater concentration of genius and brilliance than that which existed in the US colonies during the revolutionary period of 1776-1800. Perhaps the golden age of Athens, with Pericles, Socrates, Plato etc. can be argued for, but to my knowledge no other modern equivalent exists. What made it so incredible was not just the degree but the variety present. The economic and ambitious genius of Hamilton, the political astuteness and foresight of Madison, the written eloquence and "ideas" of Jefferson, the shear brilliance and breadth of understanding in Franklin, the tenacity of cause in Adams, and the shear moral rectitude and integrity of Washington, all combined to make the time truly unique. In any other time, and any other place, a republican experiment such as this this would have most certainly failed, but the fact that it has endured for nearly a two and a half centuries is one of the true amazing feats in human history.

side note: All of you know I am not an ameri-phile, in fact the more I read and learn the more I resent what my country has become (is becoming), but that doesn't preclude me form having hope that the amazing institutional foundation we (Americans) have will allow us to resurrect, or maybe more appropriately, finally implement, the ideas espoused in the above mentioned documents.