The Originals

We can go home now: we’ve seen them. Seen what, you ask? Why, the original documents of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. They are stored in the National Archives which is where we went today after lunch. There are quite a lot of interesting letters and documents on display as well as exhibits on how they preserve and restore documents. There was even a letter from a 12 year-old Fidel Castro asking President Eisenhower for a $10 bill: he promised that he would be his friend for life. Guess it didn’t work or maybe he didn’t get his $10 bill…

The original documents of the Declaration and the Constitution are very faded and almost illegible despite the efforts made to preserve them. It’s a very good thing that many copies were made over the years to preserve the words on which our country is founded. Now as always, we only need to ensure that those who follow us understand what is written and why.