Today was a day that I got to check off a major item on my bucket list: seeing both the original US Declaration of Independence and Constitution (along with the original Bill of Rights) on display at the US Archives. It’s mindblowing just how incredibly articulate those documents are and to think of their impacts across the world. I wanted to do this the last time I was in Washington, back in June 2002. Unfortunately, both were taken off display for restoration work. This time they were on display. The room in which both are held has a no photography restriction, and with good reason; to preserve the documents. There’s also a no cell phone use rule in there, too. Still, seeing both was mindblowing.
As a small bonus, I also got to see 1 of the original copies of the Magna Carta’s Conformatio Cartarum signed by King Edward I in 1297. It’s in Latin, which should surprise no one, but anyone can see its influence on both the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. The common theme being that governance only happens with consent of the governed, especially when it comes to taxes. That’s what makes this document a true marvel of history.
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