Charters of Freedom

Charters of Freedom is a term often used to describe the three documents in early American history which are considered instrumental to its founding and philosophy. These documents are the United States Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

United States Declaration of Independence

The United States Declaration of Independence is an important document in the history of the United States of America. It was ratified by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, and announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, were now independent states and thus no longer under British rule. The document was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and is considered a principal example of Jefferson's prose style.

United States Constitution

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, presided over by George Washington. The Constitution outlines the structure of the national government and delineates the scope and limitation of its powers.

Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Proposed following the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution, and written to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists, the Bill of Rights amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically delegated to Congress by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.

Preservation

The original documents are housed in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., and are available for public viewing. The documents are maintained under the most exacting of archival conditions, with the aim of preserving them for future generations.

See also

• Founding Fathers of the United States
• History of the United States Constitution
• United States Bill of Rights

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  The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives
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  Herbert Putnam, Librarian of Congress, 1924
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  James West examines the encasement of the U.S. Constitution for water vapor
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  NASA mini cooler on the encasement of the U.S. Constitution