The Binns Engraving of the Declaration of Independence

Last July 4th we looked at the Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence. This year we’re examining a lesser-known, ceremonial copy of the Declaration of Independence: the Binns engraving. Numerous ceremonial copies of the Declaration of Independence were created in the surge of nationalism following the War of 1812. At that time, most signers … Continue reading The Binns Engraving of the Declaration of Independence

The Long S

Bill of Rights Day is December 15. Visit the National Archives website for more information. Today’s post comes from Rachel Bartgis, conservator technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. One of the most frequent questions visitors to the National Archives Rotunda have about the Bill of Rights is why is the word Congress … Continue reading The Long S

Preserving the Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence

Today’s post comes from Morgan Browning, Senior Conservator in the National Archives Document Conservation Division. Visit our July 4th webpage to learn more about the Declaration of Independence and our celebration of it at the National Archives. Few records created during momentous historical events are as compelling and influential as those associated with the adoption … Continue reading Preserving the Dunlap Broadside of the Declaration of Independence

The Power of Penmanship: Writing the Declaration of Independence

Today’s post comes from Breanne Robertson, Education Specialist in the Museum Programs Division in Washington, DC. Visit our July 4th webpage to learn more about the Declaration of Independence and our celebration of it at the National Archives. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? If you answered “Thomas Jefferson,” you are both right and wrong. … Continue reading The Power of Penmanship: Writing the Declaration of Independence

My Name is Alex Hamilton

In celebration of the upcoming movie version of the musical Hamilton, we are highlighting two Hamilton-related documents from the National Archives holdings.  One of my favorite documents, and timely for Independence Day, is Alexander Hamilton’s Oath of Allegiance during the Revolutionary War. Alexander Hamilton's Oath of Allegiance, May 12, 1778. (National Archives Identifier 2524343) Hamilton … Continue reading My Name is Alex Hamilton

The Mosler Model

On June 29, 1954, a 600 pound model of the vault that held the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights went on display in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC. It was one of two models the Mosler Safe Company made to demonstrate how such a mechanism would work to secure the … Continue reading The Mosler Model

John Hancock and His Signature

Today's post comes from Michael Hancock of the National Archives History Office. Declaration of Independence in the National Archives Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. (Photo by Jeff Reed, National Archives) During my time working at the National Archives in Washington, DC, I often make it a point to visit the Rotunda at the end … Continue reading John Hancock and His Signature

The Story of the Faulkner Murals

On Tuesday, July 2, 2019, Lester Gorelic gave a talk in the William G. McGowan Theater in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, on The Faulkner Murals: Revealing Their Stories. It is available for viewing on YouTube. In 2014 the National Archives' Prologue magazine published Lester Gorelic’s article, The Faulkner Murals: Depicting the Creation … Continue reading The Story of the Faulkner Murals

Dunlap’s Declaration of Independence

Today’s post comes from Megan Huang, an intern in the National Archives History Office. Visit our July 4th web page to learn more about the Declaration and our celebration of it at the National Archives.  Before people came to see the Declaration of Independence at the National Archives, the Declaration came to the people, only … Continue reading Dunlap’s Declaration of Independence

The Jefferson Memorial Turns 75

On Friday, April 13, 2018, the memorial dedicated to Thomas Jefferson—our third President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence—turns 75.   The memorial’s architect, John Russell Pope (1874–1937), was also architect of the National Archives Building. While Pope lived long enough to see the opening of the Archives, he died before groundbreaking for the … Continue reading The Jefferson Memorial Turns 75