Jones reads Declaration of Independence

All men may be created equal, but all voices are not.

James Earl Jones read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence in his unmistakable baritone Tuesday, the day before Independence Day.

The reading took place at the National Constitution Center during the unveiling of one of four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. The nearly 800-year-old "Great Charter," which helped inspire the Declaration, is on loan from Great Britain's Lincoln Cathedral. It will be displayed for three weeks beginning Wednesday.

The unveiling was preceded by a children's play that amusingly dramatized the Magna Carta's creation. Jones praised the youngsters as fine actors.

"I can say that, because I should know," said Jones, a Tony Award winner. "You really moved me. I'm really serious."

Jones, 76, has appeared in more than 200 films, TV shows and theater productions, his voice familiar to many as Darth Vader in the "Star Wars" movies and King Mufasa in "The Lion King."

It's also heard in commercials for Verizon, which sponsored the Magna Carta exhibit along with the National Education Association.

Besides the Magna Carta, the National Constitution Center also features a signed Emancipation Proclamation and an original printing of the U.S. Constitution.

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On the Net:

National Constitution Center:

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/