I'm determined to finish my Winter 2008 series... I really am! I didn't think there was this much stuff... I guess we can do a lot in just a few days!
I got interested in the National Archives ever since seeing the movie, "National Treasure", with Nicholas Cage. I had to see how well they kept the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence for myself!
So, early in the morning, we headed to the Archives. In fact, it was too early... we had to wait outside for about half an hour before we could get in! It was a good thing we got there so early, though. We were able to bypass the huge line that built up after we got there and only had to wait for about another half hour before we saw the actual, real Declaration of Independence.
First, however, we saw the Magna Carta, or at least one version of it. According to the description, several copies/versions of the Magna Carta were distributed through the Middle Ages as it served as one of the first modern ruler-subject contracts in history.
Next, we browsed through a number of archived letters from right around the American Revolution. Several of these were mandates from the British Crown to the Colonial traitors. Finally, we got to see the Declaration itself, which was indeed kept in a very heavy and complicated looking case just like it was in the movie! It was very faded, though, to the point that it was very difficult to make out any of the normal sized words.
After seeing the Declaration, we saw the remainder of the documents in the "Rotunda" area of the archives, where they displayed the Declaration as well as other "foundation" documents such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Next, it was on to the other exhibits in the Archives. We watched a short film on how the Archives is important to all of our lives (since pretty much any federal document is archived there, such as your passport and your ancestors' immigration documents (if they came here legally back in the day)! We also looked at other documents, such as the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolution and copies of the map that detailed the Louisiana Purchase.
One of the most interesting areas in the Archives to me, however, was the area that displayed children's letters to past presidents. The most memorable letter was from a young girl writing to F. D. Roosevelt, recommending that fathers are drafted in alphabetical order - a grand idea, especially when considering her last name of
Weatherhogg!
After checking out the children's letters, we stuck around a few more minutes to watch a few archived videos of the former presidents as well as photos from their youth before finally heading out and towards Capitol Hill to see Congress. We didn't get a chance to go inside (it was another building that probably required some former reservation for a tour), so we just took a few photos in front of the building.
Our last stop in Washington D.C. was the main Smithsonian building, called the Castle. There actually isn't much to see in the Castle - it is more like the visitor center for the Smithsonian. In fact, our primary reason for visiting the Castle was to get the commemorative stamp for our National Park passports! Still, it is definitely an interesting building and provided a neat overview of the entire institute.
After leaving the Smithsonian Castle, we hit the road once more, leaving Washington D.C. behind us... so sad! Being in Washington D.C. is really a great experience. You get a great sense of patriotism when you see all of the government buildings, and even moreso when you visit each of the historical monuments and memorials!
