Want to experience the Declaration up close? Here are two great places to visit: Independence National Historic Park and the National Archives.
One historian called the meetings of our nation's founding-fathers the "Miracle in Philadelphia," and that is a fair description. Thirteen separate colonies, with differing economic interests, social structures, and religious convictions came together in the hope of forming a more perfect union. The end result of their meetings was the creation of a political masterwork, a document that has the privilege of being the world's longest-lasting written constitution.
Independence Hall is where the nation was born. It is an awe-inspiring experience to walk into the very rooms where some of the most important formative events in our early history took place. Independence Hall was Pennsylvania's State House when the Second Continental Congress met in 1775 to name George Washington head of the colonial army. Here also began the meetings that culminated in the signing of the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation were signed in Independence Hall, and when they proved unworkable, colonial leaders returned again to produce their greatest work, the U.S. Constitution. Hammering out one compromise after another, creating a wholly new system of government, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention attained a high point in the history of political endeavor. The room has been set up to look just as it did in 1787, with original chairs and inkstands. Admission is by guided tour only, call (215) 965-2305 for details.
Adjacent to this building is Congress Hall, home of the U.S. Congress from 1790 to 1800, when Philadelphia was the nation's capital. The House of Representatives met on the lower floor while the Senate assembled upstairs. President Washington's second inaugural and Adams's inaugural were also held at Congress Hall.
One block to the north of these buildings is the Liberty Bell. Cast in London in 1751, it cracked the following year while being tested in Philadelphia. Recast twice it was rung from the belfry of Independence Hall to herald the historic events of July 4th, 1776. The bell acquired its name because of its symbolic role during that historic American call for liberty. It cracked for the final time when tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. After many years of neglect, it was restored and then set up in its own pavilion in 1976.
Admission: There is no entrance fee.
Open: The park is open daily 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Call (215) 965-2305 for details.
Location: The park is an L-shaped site in the heart of Philadelphia. The Independence Visitor Center is located at the corner of 6th and Market Streets in Center City, Philadelphia.
Shops: There is a gift shop on the premises.
Handicap Access: There is partial accessibility in some of the historic structures.
Tours: Self-guided tour information can be obtained in the visitor center.
Phone: (215) 965-2305
Official site: http://www.independencevisitorcenter.com/
One of the National Archives' most treasured displays is also the name of the street on which it is located -- Constitution. You will also find the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, the seminal documents of American history, in the building's Exhibition Hall.
The archives were established by the First Continental Congress of 1774, which provided that a record of its deliberations be preserved. But even after the national government settled in Washington in 1800 there was little follow-through on the original action. Many documents were destroyed by the British in 1814. Over the years fires, water damage and careless handling took a toll. Records were stored in the offices of various government agencies, or on one occasion in the dome of the U.S. Capitol. Frequently, they were simply stacked in boxes and forgotten.
Despite the warnings of historians, nothing was done about the situation until Congress finally appropriated funds for a National Archives in 1926. The building opened nine years later. While the Exhibition Hall is the goal of most visitors, there are also extensive microfilm and document research rooms for scholars.
Admission: There is no admission fee.
Open: From April to Labor Day, the National Archives are open seven days a week, 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M. (Later hours vary seasonally.)
Directions: The National Archives are located on Constitution Avenue, between 7th and 9th Streets NW. Take the Metro to the Archives Navy Memorial station on the green or yellow lines.
Handicap Access: The archives are accessible to the disabled.
Tours: Guided tours are available daily. Reservations are required.
Phone: (202) 501-5000
Official site:http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/charters.html
