English Speech on The spirit of Independence
Over time, people were in awe when they viewed the founding papers of the country at the National Archives Building in Washington. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are the three important legal texts that Americans hold dear and constitute the foundation of the United States of America.
These parchments, generally referred to as the Charters of Freedom, have supported democracy for more than two centuries through war, tragedy, economic crisis, and civil unrest.
These documents, which have been out of the public eye since July 5, 2001 while receiving crucial conservation treatment and being housed in new casings, have now returned to their original locations and are simpler to view and read.
As a part of the new National Archives Experience, a permanent exhibition whose first stage is the reopening of the Rotunda with these Charters of Freedom in situ, these papers can now be viewed in a new way that is more enlightening, contextual, and meaningful.
Visitors can now leave the National Archives with the knowledge that they have not only seen the Charters of Freedom but also understand their significance to the country and to them personally in a democratic society. They will now see more fully why the Charters of Freedom have been referred to as "America's crown jewels."
The Declaration of Independence Gives the Deed Words
The Second Continental Congress considered a motion to declare the thirteen colonies free and independent of Great Britain during the sweltering days of June 1776 in Philadelphia, during which time Thomas Jefferson of Virginia authored the Declaration of Independence. After the resolution was accepted on July 2, the delegates started debating Jefferson's draught of a declaration right away.
John Adams of Massachusetts fought desperately to prevent the delegates from erasing any of Thomas Jefferson's writing while Jefferson watched the proceedings with anxiety. However, in the end, nearly a quarter of it was cut, including passages regarding slavery, which some delegates found to be touchy. The Declaration, which outlined the justifications for the rupture with Britain, was eventually adopted on July 4, 1776.
On August 2, 1776, after it had been adopted, the Continental Congress members inked the Declaration on a single piece of parchment. Then it travelled from city to city with the Congress. It was placed in the care of the State Department in 1789, and during the War of 1812, it was removed from Washington.
However, as the language of the Declaration started to deteriorate, the State Department hired William J. Stone to engrave a copy in 1823. Today, the Declaration is best seen in Stone's engraving, which is also preserved in the Archives' collections. Refer to "The Stone Engraving" The Declaration itself, however, remained on display for many years despite fading and deterioration. It was moved to the Library of Congress in 1921, where it stayed until 1952 before being given to the National Archives.
Constitutional Amendment Two Sparks discussions on rights and power
The Constitution was the nascent country's second effort at a constitution that would describe its political system. In response to widespread criticism that the existing constitution, the Articles of Confederation, did not grant the federal government sufficient power, a convention to write a new Constitution was called in 1787.
However, the new Constitution did not come easily. In the end, the House of Representatives was based on population, and the Senate would have equal representation from all states. The issue of how strong the federal government should be and how members of each house of Congress should be elected came up for discussion.
The Constitution, which outlines the powers given to the federal government and those reserved for the states, has been changed 27 times but is still in force 216 years after it was adopted.
The Constitution was delivered to the State Department with the Declaration, but it was never displayed until it was moved to the Library of Congress in 1921, along with the Declaration. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution's text were displayed there. The Constitution was sent to the Archives in 1952 together with the Declaration.
Individuals' Specific Rights Described in the First Amendment
The Constitution was adopted by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but many of them expressed worry that it did not express individual rights in a clear and explicit manner. The "father of the Constitution," James Madison of Virginia, and other proponents of the new Constitution pledged amendments to address this.
Madison, a member of the House in the first Congress under the new Constitution, suggested twelve amendments, which the Congress accepted and forwarded to the states for approval. Only ten of the twelve received the necessary three-quarters of state ratifications. They became law in 1791 and are today referred to as the Bill of Rights. The salary of Congressmen amendment, which was one of the other two, was finally adopted in 1992 and is currently the twenty-seventh amendment. The Bill of Rights' whereabouts between 1789 and 1938 are largely unknown. It was possibly relocated with the government throughout the early years of the country and kept with other signed original laws and decrees. The State Department gave it to the National Archives in 1938.
Finally, the Declarations of Freedom are united
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were transferred from the Library of Congress to the National Archives on December 13, 1952, with much fanfare and under armed escort. The silent agreement between Wayne Grover, the country's archivist, and Wayne Evans, the library's librarian, led to the long-awaited event.
The Declaration, the Bill of Rights, and pages 1 and 4 of the Constitution were officially inscribed in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building on December 15—two days later. Pages 2 and 3 of the Constitution were also displayed on occasion over the years. The papers were still there when the Rotunda was closed for renovations on July 5, 2001.
The Rotunda was remodelled and new display platforms were built while the Charters were away for conservation work and re-encasing (see "A New Era Begins for the Charters of Freedom") so that these priceless documents are displayed at a height and angle so that children and people in wheelchairs can easily read them.
The four pages of the Constitution are now displayed in the Rotunda's centre cases, with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to their left and right, respectively. A revolving collection of actual historical papers that trace the development of the Charters of Freedom in the 1770s and 1780s is shown in seven cases to the left of the Declaration.Seven cases are listed to the right of the Bill of Rights, demonstrating how the Charters of Freedom have been interpreted and developed both domestically and internationally since their adoption.
The well-known Barry Faulkner murals that are located above the Charters have also been taken down, cleaned, and restored. They don't reflect genuine historical events, but by showing Jefferson presenting the draught of the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock in 1776 and Madison presenting the Constitution to George Washington in 1787, they illustrate the significance of the Charters of Freedom.
The National Archives Experience Begins with Return of the Charters
The first stage of the new National Archives Experience began with the Rotunda's reopening and the repatriation of the Charters in September 2003. The other phases of the National Archives Building's thorough refurbishment will be finished over the course of the following year (see "A Top-to-Bottom Renovation"). The National Archives Experience is divided into the following phases:
The Rotunda's Public Vaults are exhibition areas that give visitors the impression that they are "inside the stacks" of the National Archives.
There will be a Special Exhibition Gallery dedicated to revolving document-based exhibits.
A learning centre that will educate kids, their parents, and teachers using primary materials as tools.
A brand-new museum store where guests can purchase souvenirs from the National Archives Experience.
A more user-friendly website that can connect users to the documents in the National Archives' collections and reproduce the thrill of visiting the National Archives Experience.
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