Website of the Week — Charters of Freedom

Washington, D.C.   02 July 2009

Time again for our Website of the Week, when we showcase interesting and innovative online destinations.

Our national holiday, Independence Day, is July 4th. Many of us Americans will celebrate with parades and picnics and fireworks. Here in Washington, people will line up at the National Archives to see what are called the Charters of Freedom. For those who can't come in person, our Website of the Week is the next best way to see these key documents in the forging of the American nation.

"The Declaration of Independence is the document that declared our freedom from England, from the King of England," explains Maria Stanwich of the National Archives. "The Constitution is really the blueprint for the United States government.  The Bill of Rights was created to protect individual freedoms, like the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom to assemble - rights that weren't specifically written in the Constitution itself."

You can see and learn more about the Charters of Freedom at archives.gov/exhibits/charters.

While there is no substitute for the thrill of seeing the original, two-century-old documents, Stanwich explains that the website offers a richer experience in some ways. For example, the shrine-like rotunda where the originals are displayed has murals depicting the signing of the historic documents.

"But if you go to the website, you can see those same murals on the website, and you can learn more about those signers. You can read the actual biographies of those signers and learn about the struggles and the life that they had, and what they lost at the end of their struggle."

The Charters of Freedom may be the National Archives' most famous documents, but Stanwich says there's lots more to see online.

"There are other exhibits that you can see on that same website. All of our exhibits, or most of them, are documented and then put on the website for people around the world who can't come and visit us to see them."

See for yourself at archives.gov/exhibits/charters, or get the link to this and some 250 other Websites of the Week from our site, VOAnews.com.

 

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