Eleanor Finch
The original document of the US Constitution has had a long and tumultuous history. When it was first written, the original copies were not given much thought and were only found later by Franklin Jameson in a box in a closet in the State, War, and Navy Building. The document was moved to the National Archives in 1952 and has been on permanent display since.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Location | National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, DC |
| Displayed | Yes, in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom |
| Number of Pages | 4 or 5 |
| Preservation | Yes, preservation efforts were undertaken in 2001 and 2003 |
| Storage | Encased in glass with light filters, inert gas, and controlled humidity |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution's location: National Archives
The US Constitution has been housed at the National Archives in Washington, DC, since 1952. The National Archives Building is located at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington DC. It is situated between the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice, just north of the National Mall. The National Archives Building's exhibition hall was specifically designed to house precious documents in a climate-controlled space. The US Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, are collectively referred to as the Charters of Freedom. These documents are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
The Charters of Freedom were originally controlled by the State Department. They were displayed at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 in Philadelphia and then returned to the State, War, and Navy Building in Washington, DC. They remained on display in a cabinet within the departmental library until 1894 when they were removed due to fading. The documents were then placed in storage until 1920, when efforts were made to advocate for their preservation and exhibition. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding issued an executive order directing the transfer of the Charters of Freedom to the Library of Congress.
In 1933, President Herbert Hoover announced that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution would be exhibited at the National Archives building. However, the transfer was met with objections, and the documents remained at the Library of Congress. During World War II, the Constitution was moved to the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky, for safekeeping until September 1944. In 1951, a study was conducted to examine the way the Constitution was stored, and it was re-encased in glass with special light filters, inert gas, and controlled humidity. Finally, in 1952, the Constitution was transferred to its current home at the National Archives.
The US Constitution is now on permanent display at the National Archives, where millions of visitors view the document each year. The document is carefully preserved and protected, ensuring the original ink and parchment are maintained for future generations.
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The document's preservation and display
The US Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, are collectively referred to as the Charters of Freedom. These documents were initially controlled by the State Department and were displayed at the Centennial Exhibition in 1876 in Philadelphia. They were then returned to the State, War, and Navy Building in Washington, DC, where they were displayed in a cabinet within the departmental library until 1894 when they were removed due to fading.
The documents remained in storage until 1920, when efforts were made to preserve and exhibit them. In 1921, President Warren G. Harding ordered the transfer of the Charters of Freedom to the Library of Congress. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated a public display of the Constitution at the Library of Congress, where it was protected against moisture and sealed between two panes of insulated plate glass.
In 1933, President Herbert Hoover announced that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution would be exhibited at the National Archives building, which was specifically designed to house these precious documents in a climate-controlled space. In 1952, the Constitution was hermetically sealed between glass plates and filled with inert helium gas to protect it from the corrosive effects of normal air. Despite this, small white spots began to appear on the document, and NASA's atmospheric experts were consulted to address the issue.
In 2001, the document was removed from its cases and installed in new, modern display cases in 2003. The Constitution is now on permanent display at the National Archives in Washington, DC, where it is preserved and protected with proper humidity control and argon gas.
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The Charters of Freedom
The Declaration of Independence expresses the ideals on which the United States was founded and the reasons for its separation from Great Britain. The Constitution, on the other hand, defines the framework of the federal government of the United States. It acted as a merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures under one national government. The Constitution has twenty-seven amendments, with the original text and all prior amendments remaining untouched. Amendments to the Constitution are appended to the document, with the first ten known as the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the government.
The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom also features a dual display of the "Formation of the Union", which includes documents related to the evolution of the US government between 1774 and 1791, such as the Articles of Association (1774), the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (1778), the Treaty of Paris (1783), and Washington's First Inaugural Address (1789).
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The history of the document's location
The US Constitution was originally handwritten on five pages of parchment by Jacob Shallus. Ironically, when it was first written, the original copies were not given much thought and were only found later. In fact, the original document was found by Franklin Jameson in a box in a closet in the State, War, and Navy Building. The document was sealed in 1894 and placed between two glass plates for storage in a safe. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge displayed the Constitution publicly at the Library of Congress. It was protected against moisture by being sealed between two panes of insulated plate glass, with special absorbent cellulose paper and a gelatin film to protect it from light.
During World War II, the Constitution was moved to the United States Bullion Depository in Fort Knox, Kentucky, where it remained until September 1944. In 1951, a study was conducted to examine the way the Constitution was stored, and it was re-encased in glass with improved preservation methods. In 1952, the Constitution was hermetically sealed between glass plates and filled with inert helium gas to protect it from the corrosive effects of normal air. It was then moved to its current home in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives, located at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, DC.
Despite the new preservation methods, small white spots began to appear on the document, so NASA's atmospheric experts were consulted for help. In 2001, the document was removed from its cases and treated for preservation again. In 2003, it was installed in new, modern display cases, with a gap between the surface of the document and the top layer of glass, and the humidity was properly controlled to between 25% and 35%. Argon gas was used in the new cases instead of helium.
Today, the Constitution is displayed to the public and has millions of visitors each year. All four pages of the document are on permanent display at the National Archives, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, collectively known as the Charters of Freedom.
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The future of the document's location
The US Constitution has had a somewhat nomadic existence, with its original copies not being given much thought when it was first written. However, it now has a permanent home at the National Archives in Washington DC, where it has been since 1952. The National Archives Building is located at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington DC, between the Federal Trade Commission and the US Department of Justice, just north of the National Mall.
The National Archives were specifically designed to house the Charters of Freedom, which include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The building's exhibition hall was designed to be a monumental exhibit space for the nation's founding documents, with climate-controlled conditions to protect the Charters. The Charters are displayed in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom, which was designed by architect John Russell Pope as a shrine to American democracy.
The Constitution itself has been preserved and treated over the years to ensure its longevity, with modern encasements and display cases being introduced in 2003. The document is now displayed to the public and attracts millions of visitors a year.
The National Archives is committed to the preservation and exhibition of the US Constitution, and it is expected that the document will remain in its current location for the foreseeable future. The building has been rated as the safest in the Washington area, and the Charters of Freedom are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States.
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Frequently asked questions
The original US Constitution is located in the National Archives, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom.
The original Constitution is handwritten on five pages of parchment by Jacob Shallus, though some sources state it is four pages long.
The US Constitution united citizens as members of a whole, giving the power of the union to the people. It also acted as the first permanent constitution, influencing the constitutions of other nations.
