Constitution of the United States

Acting Chief of Reference at the National Archives Trevor Plante literally takes viewers inside the National Archives vaults to see some of his favorite rarely-displayed documents including the following:

• The original text of the "Virginia Plan," Edmund Randolph's proposal for a national government that included three co-equal branches: "supreme legislative, judiciary and executive";

• A printed copy of the Constitution with George Washington's handwritten annotations;

• The final printed copy of the Constitution, which was delivered to the Constitutional Convention September 13, 1787, approved by vote on September 15, and then signed on September 17; and

• The state of Pennsylvania's ratification copy of the Constitution -- unlike the four-page version of the Constitution on display at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the entire text is on one enormous sheet of parchment so it could be more easily transported.

"Inside the Vaults" is part of the ongoing effort by the National Archives to make its collections, stories, and accomplishments more accessible to the public. "Inside the Vaults" gives voice to Archives staff and users, highlights new and exciting finds at the Archives, and reports on complicated and technical subjects in easily understandable presentations. Earlier topics include the conservation of the original Declaration of Independence, the new Grace Tully collection of documents at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library, and the transfer to the National Archives of the Nuremberg Laws. The film series is free to view and distribute on our YouTube channel at http://tiny.cc/Vaults

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Constitution Day
• Virginia plan
• national archives
• original documents
• NARA
• Founding Documents
• George Washington notes

[kristindean88]

@Flexy1701 There's a layer between his tie and the document.

[Flexy1701]

Interesting! I wonder if he realized that his tie brushed up against the document around the 2:00 minute mark. Oops.