The Declaration of Independence – a (the parchment in the National Archive)

The Declaration of Independence – a (the parchment in the National Archive)

Instead of being British and colonists we’re now American.

When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political (…)

All men are created equal. Yeahhhh!!!!

I’ve come now to Washington DC. It’s a city that didn’t even exist in 1776. It was 1791 before the …..   for a new national capital was ………….. But it’s here, in the National Archives that the ……… of historic documents are ……………….

I’ve come in ……………. the impressive 19th century neo-classical …………… into a huge …………  room with a marble floor and a dome with murals of the ……………… fathers …………. down at us. It’s here, in this marbled ………………. that the most precious documents from 1776: the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are (       ) and …  ……. all through the year.

I’m with ………….. Stacey Breadhalf and we are standing in front of the case that …………. the Declaration of Independence:

And you should ………………… yourself because people are usually shocked at the ……………………. of the Declaration.

Shocked! Why would I be shocked? I’ll see.

You’ll see.

Now, ha, what am I shocked about? Yes, I am shocked because I can …………. read it.

Well, we’ve nearly loved this document to death.

What do you mean by loving it to death?

What I mean is that this document expresses our nation’s highest………………., our highest hopes and aspirations.

But it’s a bit disappointing when, when I over look into the case, which is an …………. brass case and I can  (  )  make out any of the words at all.

Well, that is because it has had a very difficult life. In its beginnings and all …………………  the Revolution, the Continental Congress moved eight or nine times during the war and each time they ………….. roll up the document then put in a sack and take it onto the next place and unroll it and so ………….. and then repeat the process.

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Each year, more than 1.5 million visitors come to the National Archives Rotunda to see our country’s founding Charters of Freedom: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. While waiting in line to experience the Charters, visitors enjoy studying two large murals, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution, which adorn the Rotunda walls and illuminate the historic moments when each of these documents that define our democracy were signed.

Since 1952, the Charters of Freedom have been on continuous display at the National Archives, where they have been cherished and handled with the greatest care.

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