The National Archives

I went to the National Archives on Sunday.  I’ve tried to go at least two or three times, but every single time I went the line was too long for my patience to handle.  I decided that early Sunday might be the best time to hit it, and it was.  The line was very short.  I might’ve waited five minutes to get in.

I went to the rotunda first.  The rotunda houses the Magna Carta, and our national treasures—the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence.

The Magna Carta on display was a facsimile.  The original is tucked safely away undergoing restoration while a new enclosure case is built for it using cutting edge technology to protect it from light and temperature fluctuations.  The Magna Carta, owned by The National Archives, is one of the seventeen in existence.  It was written in 1297 (It is not one of the Magna Carta charters written in 1215), and it was sort of a predecessor or template for the U.S. Constitution.

Then, there was the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence.  The paper these documents are written on is made of calf hide and the ink is made from a substance wasps would deposit on oak trees.  The ink would be a blue/black color, and, with age, it has turned brown.  You’ve probably seen this faded brown ink before on old documents.  And the writing quills were plucked from geese.  One of the founding fathers used to farm geese, so he would have premium quills. 

Each document was impressive for a lot of reasons.  They are the pillars of our democracy.  They have physically survived for over 300 hundred years as have their basic fundamentals.

The rotunda is very cold, dim, and photography is prohibited.  Cold temperatures preserve the life of the documents and the low lighting keeps the ink from fading.  Photography can damage the documents.

In the National Archives, you also have the public vaults.  I didn’t investigate much in the public vaults.  I did listen to one of FDR’s fireside chats broadcasted after the banks fell out.  I also searched for an exhibit I saw advertised.  Unfortunately, it was still being set-up.  It won’t be open until June.  It’s on how the American government has influenced Americans’ diets.  It traces dietary promotions, restrictions, and the food pyramid all the way back to the 1700s to today.  I think that would’ve been a favorite of mine.

Fun Fact:  Pennsylvania is spelled wrong in the Constitution.