For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 17, 2003
President Unveils Nation's Founding Documents at National Archives
Remarks by the President at the Rededication of the National Archives
The National Archives
Washington, D.C.
Audio
11:00 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Speaker Hastert, Mr. Chief Justice, Justice
Kennedy, Justice Thomas, Senator Frist and Senator Daschle,
Representative Pelosi, members of Congress, Governor Carlin, ladies and
gentlemen: Laura and I are pleased to join with all of you for this
morning's important ceremony. And all of us here today are honored to
witness the unveiling of our Declaration of Independence, our original
Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Because of the careful, patient work carried out these last two
years, all Americans, and visitors from across the world can once again
step forward and see our nation's founding documents.
This new display is certainly preferable to the burlap sacks once
used to carry the Declaration. Since the Declaration of Independence
first left Philadelphia in a horse cart, the founding documents have
been moved many times, including a secret trip to Fort Knox during
World War II. For the last half-century, their home has been this
rotunda.
When President Harry Truman stood here 51 years ago, he rightly
praised modern methods of document preservation. These methods served
us well. In our day, preservation has become an even higher art,
through the skill of conservators like those who accepted this very
demanding assignment. The work of handling the fragile parchment and
preparing it for these new encasements had to be difficult -- and must
have been pretty nerve-wracking. I don't know how you practice for a
job like that. (Laughter.) But I do know there's little margin for
error.
And so, to all the professionals involved in this great task, we
thank you for your work, and we thank you for the contribution to our
country.
Many Americans have seen reproductions of the Declaration of
Independence. A lot of us have seen reproductions of the
Constitution. We know so well the first three words of our
Constitution, "We the people." Yet, as familiar as these documents are,
to see them in their originals is a moving experience. I hope a lot of
our fellow citizens come to this rotunda and see firsthand the work of
our founding fathers.
Looking at the faded names of Hancock and Adams and Jefferson,
Franklin, and others, you can better see the bravery behind the
stirring words declaring independence. It was one thing to nod in
agreement as the text was read and approved. It's quite another to
take the quill and add your name, becoming at that instant the enemy of
an empire. And each of the signers, as his pen moved across the page,
had not only reached a great turning point in his own life, but in the
life of the world. The true revolution was not to defy one earthly
power, but to declare principles that stand above every earthly power
-- the equality of each person before God, and the responsibility of
government to secure the rights of all.
The courage of America's first leaders gave us the Declaration.
Their patience and wisdom gave us the Constitution. They were patient
through long and contentious and learned debates and discussions. They
were wise in their understanding of human nature, with all its virtues
and all the temptations. The supreme law of this land is the work of
practical minds addressed to practical questions, like how to govern
effectively and also limit the powers of government; how to represent
the will of the people and to control the passions of temporary
majorities.
Framers devised answers that can now be found in constitutions
across the world -- separate branches, enumerated powers, checks and
balances, specific protections of the Bill of Rights. Taken together,
our founding documents set a standard that is the test and the burden
of every generation. The text written by a slave-holder would become
an unanswerable brief against slavery. The Constitution drafted and
approved by men alone would, by its own logic, eventually assure the
full participation of women. The ideals of our founders were stronger
than any flaws of the founders. They rebuke our failures and guide our
reforms.
"These charters of freedom," said Martin Luther King, "are a
promissory note. a pledge of justice to all who are denied it." In the
course of two centuries, the ideals of our founding documents have
defined America's purposes in the world. Since July 4th, 1776, to this
very day, Americans have seen freedom's power to overcome tyranny, to
inspire hope even in times of great trial, to turn the creative gifts
of men and women to the pursuits of peace.
We have seen freedom's power in Europe and Asia and Africa and
Latin America, and we will see freedom's power in the Middle East.
Every person in every culture has the inalienable right to life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America owns the Declaration of
Independence and the Constitution, but the ideals they proclaim belong
to all mankind.
This morning, exactly 216 years after the Constitutional Convention
finished its business, the American people can take pride in the care
we have given to preserving the work of the founding generation. Their
words first guided a nation of scarcely 4 million souls. Yet even in
their own day, the founders knew they had put large events in motion,
and free people everywhere remain in their debt.
In this rotunda are the most cherished material possessions of a
great and good nation. By this rededication, we show our deep respect
for the first principles of our republic, and our lasting gratitude to
those first citizens of the United States of America.
May God continue to bless our country. Thank you. (Applause.)
END 11:09 A.M. EDT
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