The National Archives in Washington, DC houses important American documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution, which are stored in an underground vault built to withstand an atomic blast. The vault was originally built in 1953 and upgraded in the early 2000s. Fun facts include that America declared independence on July 2, 1776, Benjamin Franklin needed help signing the Constitution, and some states did not officially ratify the Bill of Rights until 1939.
To get a look at some of America’s most important documents, you must visit the National Archives in Washington, DC, where the documents are protected by bulletproof glass. As you go through them, armed guards keep an eye on you. But that’s nothing compared to what happens when the doors close. It is then that the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights and the Constitution are lowered into an underground vault built to withstand an atomic blast. The documents, known collectively as the Freedom Papers, represent the founding and growth of America, from its decision to break with British rule to the laws that form the framework of our government. Therefore, they require the ultimate in protection. The vault where documents spend their nights was originally built in 1953, at the height of the Cold War, by Mosler Safe Co. The company had earned recognition by building a bank safe that survived the 1945 atomic attack on Hiroshima , in Japan. In the early 2000s, the Archives vault was upgraded by Ohio-based banking technology company Diebold as part of a $110 million renovation of the National Archives building.
Documenting American History:
America declared its freedom from Great Britain through the Declaration of Independence on July 2, 1776, not July 4, as is often believed.
The oldest delegate to the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old and needed help signing his name to ratify the Constitution.
Massachusetts, Georgia and Connecticut did not officially ratify the Bill of Rights until 1939, more than 100 years after other states.
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