On June 8, 1789, less than one year after the U.S. Constitution was ratified, Representative James Madison of Virginia proposed several amendments to the document. The amendments were to be interwoven into the text and were, for the most part, selectively taken from the amendments proposed by the states. They also mostly related to protecting civil … Continue reading The Bill of Rights Goes to the States
Join one of the “Amending America” exhibit curators Christine Blackerby for a Facebook Live video on the Huffington Post Politics page. On July 9, 1868, the Fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution became law. It is arguably the most important of the 27 amendments. The amendment originated after the Civil War when Congress attempted to pass … Continue reading Amending America: the 14th Amendment
The National Archives was created on June 19, 1934. During the month of June, the National Archives History Office is sharing stories about the former Archivists of the United States. Today's post comes from Sarah Basilion. John W. Carlin was appointed eighth Archivist of the United States by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and served in … Continue reading John W. Carlin: Bringing the National Archives into the 21st Century
The 27th amendment, ratified on May 7, 1992, was originally proposed on September 25, 1789. Yes, that date is correct. The amendment was part of the original 12 proposed amendments sent to the states for ratification in 1789. Amendments 3 through 12 were ratified on December 15, 1791, becoming what we now call the Bill of … Continue reading A Record-Setting Amendment
In April 1952 Congress ordered the Library of Congress to transfer the Declaration of Independence and Constitution to the National Archives. The two documents were to go on public display in the National Archives Building along with the Bill of Rights, which was already at the Archives. While the Archives exhibition hall had been specifically … Continue reading Protecting the Bill of Rights: the Mosler Vault
For 18 months in the late 1940s, some of the nation’s most important historical documents toured the country in a traveling museum called the Freedom Train. The National Archives History Office has produced a new online exhibit on the Freedom Train, which is available in the Google Cultural Institute. Viewed by more than 3.5 million … Continue reading New Web Exhibit on the Freedom Train
Visitors to downtown Washington, DC, on December 13, 1952, were treated to an interesting sight—armored vehicles escorted by a barrage of military and police personnel. It wasn’t a holiday or the Presidential motorcade or a visiting dignitary. On that chilly December morning, passersby saw the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States … Continue reading Carting the Charters
August 24, 2014, marks the 200th anniversary of the British burning of Washington during the War of 1812. In August 1814, British forces occupying the Chesapeake Bay began to sail up the Patuxent River in Maryland. Fearing an attack on the capital, Secretary of State James Monroe offered to scout the British position and report … Continue reading The burning of Washington
Continuing our celebration of the 225th Anniversary of the First Congress, the National Archives is displaying a draft of the Bill of Rights from August 12 to September 11, 2014, in the East Rotunda Gallery. During the 1787–1788 Constitutional ratification process, opponents criticized the Constitution because it lacked a bill of rights. They argued that … Continue reading Featured Document: Senate Revisions to the Proposed Bill of Rights
