DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 302 456 SO 019 524

AUTHOR Walch, Timothy G., Ed.TITLE Celebrating the Constitution: A Bicentennial

Retrospective.INSTITUTION National Archives and Records Service (GSA),

Washington: D.C.REPORT NO ISBN-0-911333-71-1PUB DATE 88NOTE 86p.; Some color photographs may not reproduce

clearly.PUB TYPE Collected Works - Serials (022) -- Historical

Materials (060)JOURNAL CIT Prologue; spec iss 1988

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC04 Plus Postage.DESCRIPTORS *Constitutional History; Federal Governlmt; History

Instruction; Resource Materials; *United StatesHistory

IDENTIFIERS *Bicentennial; Commemorative Events; CommemorativePublications; Historical Materials; ,tUnited StatesConstitution

ABSTRACTThis commemorative document was published to

celebrate the Bicentennial of the signing of the U.S. :onstitutionand to pay tribute to the bicentennial celebration efforts of theU.S. National Archives and Records Administration staff. The includedarticles are: (1) "Introduction: A Celebration at the NationalArchives" (F. Burke); (2) "The Odyssey of the Constitution" (A.Plotnik); (3) "Constitutional Celluloid: Bicentennial Films" (W.Blakefield); (4) "Portfolio: Personalities Share in the Celebration";(5) "Exhibiting Constitutional Documents" (E. Soapes); (6)"Celebrating a Special Anniversary" (W. Cook); (7) "Teaching and theConstitution" (J. Mueller); (8) "A Commemoration in Print" (M. Ryan);and (9) "Sharing Constitutional Ideas" (R. Pollock). Numerous colorand black/white photographs are included. (JHP)

************************************************************************ Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *

* from the original document. *

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A BICENTENNIAL RETROSPECTIVE

A COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE OF PROLOGUE,

QUARTERLY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONOnce ot Educational Research and Improvement

EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATIONCENTER (ERIC)

XThis document has been reproduced asreceived horn the person or regent:W.0noriginating it.

O Minor changes have been made to tmtatorereproduction duality

Points of view of opinions stated in this docu-ment do rot necessarily represent officialOERI position or policy

A BICENTENNIAL RETROSPECTIVE

I

A COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE OF PROLOGUE,

QUARTERLY OF THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION

WASHINGTON, DC

3

Published forThe National Archives and Records AdministrationBy theNational Archives Trust Fund Board1988

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Date

Celebrating the Constitution.

1. United States Constitution Bicentennial.1987 - 1991.1. United States. National Archivesand Records Administration.KF454'19C45 1988 342.73'029 88-600200ISBN 0-911333-71-1 34730229

EditorTimothy G. Walch

Associate EditorMary C.. gyan

Art DirectorSerene Feldman Werblood

Production EditorRichard B. Smith

Photo EditorDennis R. Means

National Archives Committee on theBicentennial of the U.S. Constitution

Linda N. Brown, co-chairFrank G. Bto-1,e. co-chairCharles «'. BenderRosanne T. ButlerJill BrettRoger A. BrunsMilton 0. GustafsonKenneth E. HarrisEdith M. JamesJudith A. KouckyFerris Stove!Timothy G. Walch

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

5 Foreword

6 Introduction

A Celebration at the National Archives

8 The Odyssey of the Constitution

18 Constitutional Celluloid: Bicentennial Films

25 Portfolio

Personalities Share in the Celebration

30 Exhibiting Constitutional Documents

40 Celebrating a Special Anniversary

58 Teaching and the Constitution

68 A Commemoration in Print

74 Sharing Constitutional Ideas

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FOREWORD

Nineteen eighty-seven was ani nportant anniversary year for theUnited States in general and theNational Archives in particular OnSeptember 17, 1787, thirty-nine menrepresenting twelve states gathered inPhiladelphia to sign the document thatis the foundation of our federal govern-ment. For more than two centuries thisfour-page oversized document has beenthe blueprint for our democratic wayof life.

It is a document worthy of com-memoration, and what better time tocelebrate than the bicentennial anni-versary of its signing! Certainly theNational Archives took this anniversaryvery seriously As the home of the Con-stitution, the National Archives wasquite rightly one of the major focalpoints of bicentennial activity during1987

More specifically, this anniversaryrequired the Archives staff to plan newexhibits and publications, arrange filmfestivals and lecture series, coordinate apanoply of special events, and helpteacher_ and students alike to betterunderstand and appreciate the Consti-tution. Such a massive effort requiredtime and skillful coordination.

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Late in 1984, my predecessor RobertM. Warner established an agency-widecommittee to address the challenges ofcelebrating the bicentennial. The workof this committee and the hundreds ofArchives staff members who worked onthe bicentennial is described in thepages that follow Under the leadershipof Frank G. Burke and Linda N. Brown,committee members and staff carriedout this mission with remarkable effi-ciency and effectiveness. This publica-tion is a tribute to their work.

In paging through Celebrating theConstitution, it is my sincere hope thatyou will learn a thing or two about oneof the greatest documents in our na-tion's history. More important, I hopethat you will be intrigued enough toreturn to the Archives to visit theConstitution. Although the specialai.niversary year of 1987 has passed,any year is a good time to come andsee this great charter of our freedom.

Don W WilsonArchivist of the United States

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1'

INTRODUCTION Frank G. Burke

ACelebration

at theNationalArchives

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As I stood in the Rotunda of theArchives on September 17 and watchedthe long line of people snake its waythrough the front door and past thecases containing the four pages of thesigned Constitution, my mind driftedback to a summer day in the early1970s when I was the AssistantArchivist for Educational (now Public)Programs. As such, the Rotunda and itsexhibits were my bailiwick, and it wasnatural that a member of the security

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force would call me with a problem.The problem that summer day was thata visitor the proverbial little old lady

was holding up the line of viewers ofthe Charters of Freedom because sheinsisted on her citizen's right to readthe entire Constitution.

Under normal circumstances thefour cases of the shrine contain thesingle page of the Declaration ofIndependence, the first and last of fourpages of the Constitution, antih-esingle page of the Bill of Rights. WhenI went to the area and spoke with thewoman, I informed her that the twomiddle pages of the Constitution werenot displayed, and if she really wantedto read the entire document I wouldgive her a complimentary copy of afacsimile that did have all four pages.

She was polite but insistent, and abit disturbed that the full Constitutionwas not there for the citizens to read,and as she moved away we talkedabout that. I told her that the limitationwas the result of an architectural flawin the design of the exhibition hall.John Russell Pope, the architect,had apparently seen the display ofdocuments as they were exhibited atthe Library of Congress between 1924and 1952, when they transferredto the Archives. At the Library onlythree pages were on display theDeclaration was vertical, and the firstand last pages of the Constitution werehorizontal beneath it.

Right then and there, however; Ipromised the disappointed visitor thatI would look into doing somethingextraordinary. September 17 is theanniversary of the signing of theConstitution a fact generally knownat that time to staff of the NationalArchives, but not common knowledgeto the general public. I went to thenArchivist James B. Rhoads, whosebirthday happened to be on September17, and suggested that we celebrate theholiday at the National Archives.

We had tried to hold public eventson July 4, the anniversary of theDeclaration of Independence, but hadencountered too much competition.Most military units bands, holierguards, etc. had long since beenscheduled elsewhere on that date. Itwas difficult to engage a major speaker

Washington tends to be deserted inmidstimme except for tourists, and

congressmen were, of course, giN ingFourth of July speeches in their owndistricts.

September 17, however, would allowus to plan events with fewer constants.Military ceremonial units wereavailable, most of Congress was intown and working, and there were fewif any events that regularly fell on thatdate. Beginning in 1970, the NationalArchives celebrated September 17, andto make_a_more meaningful we began_._the tradition of exhibiting all fourpages of the Constitution on that day:Originally, the pages were displayed ina simple wooden frame constructed byme and the Archives carpenter It wasplaced in the center of the Rotunda andflanked by an all-service honor guard,with ceremonial changing of the guardevery half hour. The idea was so novelthat the first year the event wascovered by Walter Cronkite on the CBSEvening News.

Since that time ihe celebration hasevolved into what it is today. At onepoint there was conceived the idea ofhaving a naturalization ceremony infront of the Constitution, with aprominent speaker to welcome the newcitizens. These speakers have ineludedSenator Mark Hatfield, CongressmanTom Lantos, philanthropist H. RossPerot, Professor Barbara Jordon, andothers. As we moved into the 1980s,the staff began concentrating on thebicentennial of the Constitution, andplanning what could be done to makeConstitution Day 1987 very special.

The result of that planning is shownin the following pages. In 1976 theEducational Programs staff thought ofputting the Declaration on continuousdisplay for seventy-six I- curs andcalling it a "vigil:. The event was verymoving, and quite successful, so itseemed natural to do the same for theConstitution, but this time to have thevigil for eighty-seven hours. In thefollowing pages there is a report on theactivities and attendance during thevigil. During the years leading up to thebicentennial, the Archives had alsosponsored a number of conferencesand film festivals, and the NationalArchives Volunteers Association inWashington sponsored a leLture series,which presented tea le, rurers a yearaddressing corwatutional For1987 a special film series relating to

the Constitution was scheduled, andin addition to the volunteers' leLtureseries, a special lecture by JusticeHarry A. Blackmun was co-sponsoredby the National ArLhives and theSupreme Court Historical Society. Also,beginning in 1985, the Archives hadcooperated with local theatrical groupsin preparing and presenting dramaticinterpretations of historical materialthat was in the agency files held by

the chives. For 1987 these effortswere continued, but there was alsoa "street theater" production with the

tigiNIOLrm.

Constitution as its theme.Publications have been an important

part of the Archives educational andpublic programs since the 1940s, and1987 was no exception. The public cannow once again purchase a copy of SolBloom's The Story of the Constitution,tihich had been out of print for ageneration, and a revised edition ofSigners of the Constitution has beenissued by the Archives as Framers of theConstitution, with considerable newmaterial added. A third exampleof bicentennial publications is theNational ArLhives' quarterly journal.Prologue. published "Celebrating theConstitution" in 1985, "Documentingthe Constitution" appeared in 1986,and in the bicentennial year it issuedthe third in the series, "Living Withthe Constitution:. With all of thatactivity; one might have thought thatthe week of September 17, 1987, wouldbe a disappointing anticlimax. Wewere pleasantly surprised, and a bitoverwhelmed, when it was not.

The section entitled "Celebrating aSpecial Anniversary" provides a goodflavor of the weeks events, both stagedand spontaneous Sugar Ray Leonardmaking an impromptu speech to anenthusiastic crowd on the ConstitutionAvenue portico, Larry King marveling

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over vast -to -vast radio about the longline of people snaking through theRotunda at midnight; the D.C. cabdriver who drove a fare to the ArLhivesat 3 a.m. and Lame inside himself toget his first look at the Constitution,the early morning joggers whodetoured from the Mall, joggedup the thirty-nine steps, viewed thedocuments, and then continued ontheir way. Then there were the GirlScouts handing out copies of theConstitution to all comers, the BoyScouts acting as honor guard for part ofthe evening shift; the spit and polish ofan all-service honor guard changingthe guard with the precise click, dick,click of their heels on the marble floor,the kids playing a video game aboutthe Constitutional Convention whilethe adults watched warily from apolite distance.

All in all, the week could bedescribed in contemporary terms as "ahappening:. which implies spontaneity:There were no fireworks, parades,patriotic speeches or recitations inthe Rotunda, but what was therewas the true embodiment of what thecelebration was all about the fourpages on which our governmental andsocietal system is based. Those whowere there will likely never forget it.For those were not there, we hope thefollowing pages will provide a vicariousparticipation in the events of thatglorious week. I hope the little old ladyshowed up.

fi s

Acting Archivist Frank G. Burkepresided over celebration festivities.

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Arthur Plotnik

8

Then,Udasseg

of theConstitution

In mid-September 178Z the penstrokes of the signing delegates

to the Federal Convention transformed four sheets of

parchment stationery into a historical monument with a

destiny of its own. As a physical entity, the manuscript of the

United States Constitution has since led a charmed existence,

sometimes a thrilling one. Unlike the original engrossed

Declaration of Independence, now time-worn and barely

legible, the Constitution and its letter of transmittal have

survived two centuries in fine form and are likely to endure for

centuries more.

The parchments have traveled hundreds of miles by coach,

river vessel, train, Model T Ford, and armored Marine

personnel carrier, they have been encased in linen, oak,

bronze, steel, glass, and helium, they have lain in storage in

more than a dozen buildings in at least three cities. They have

"fled" two wars. But because, for generations, the four large

parchments were considered less suitable for exhibition than

the one-sheet Declaration of Independence, the Constitution

was spared the strain of public display in damaging

environmental conditions.

By 1924, when the Constitution first went on exhibit at the

Library of Congress, enough was known of preservation

science to provide adequate short-range protection of the

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parchments. Today, at its permanenthome in the National Archives,scientifically constructed cases anda formidable underground vaultsecure the future of the documentwhile allowing it to be viewed atclose range by any of the millionsN1 ho wish to do so. From proudcitizen to awe- struck foreign visitorto sticky-fingered youngster, eachviewer is greeted by writing thatcan be read as easily as a letter froma friend.

The travels of the Constitution,now apparently at an end, began onTuesday; September 18, 1787, justtwo days after the weekend engross-ment by Jacob Shallus and a dayafter the signing at the PennsylkaniaState House (Independence Hall).Major William Jackson, secretary ofthe Convention, was ordered tocarry the engrossed Constitution,with transmittal letter, to the"United States in Congressassembled" in New York City. Hedid so via a stagecoach leavingPhiladelphia at ten o'clock in themorning.

1., 11 1;

11.,f(1 I\

.=rr

O. September 20,1787, CharlesThomson, secretary to the Con-gress, noted the receipt of the

"new frame of government:' TheConstitution was read to Congressthat day, though whether from theengrossed copy or a printed versionis not known.

Home of the Congress at thattime was the second floor of NewYork's City Hall, at Wall and Nassaustreets. The Shallus parchmentsmight have been moved during arenovation, then put back in 1789.That fall, with the creation of theState Department, "custody andcharge" of the federal government'spapers were transferred to thesecretary of state, a position firstoccupied by Thomas Jefferson.Jefferson arrived in New York inMarch 1790 to assume his duties.

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Left: Assembly Room in IndependenceHall, Philadelphia, site of the signingof the Constitution in 1787.

Below: "Signing the Constitution;'1937, painting by Howard ChandlerChristy.

it

He might have then viewed first-hand a document lie had earliercalled "unquestionably the wisestever yet presented to men:'

Until September 1921, theparchments remained in thecustody of the secretary of state,moving about only according to theneeds of that office and for safe-keeping. The aging ink was neverallowed to fade from prolongedexhibition in raw light. The travelsof the State Department, howeverkept the parchments on the move.From 1790 to 1800 alone, theyfollowed the Department through atleast four offices in Philadelphia. In1798, during one of that city's yelk'vfever epidemics, the secretary of

state was housed in Trenton, theConstitution might haxe made thattrip as well.

By summer of 1800, the parch-ments were exposed to the heat andhumidity of Washington, DC., thenew capital. They had arrived inMay carried by vessel to Lcar'sWharf on the Potomac, for storagein the Treasury Building at Nine-teenth Street and PennsylvaniaAvenue. The next year theywere iiioxed to the \Val Office onSeventeenth Street, a large brickstructure What: they remained until1814.

Displaced parchmentsThe British were coming. and

the capital city and its records werein the worst danger of the War of1812. Thus did Secretary of State

James Monroe warn the govern-ment in August 1814, after observingenemy forces in Maryland. A StateDepartment clerk named StephenPleasanton "proceeded tin his ownwords years later] to purchasecoarse linen, and cause it to bemade into bags of convenient size,in which the gentlemen of theoffice" stashed the Constitution andother valuable documents.

Like war refugees, the documentswere carted across the PotomacRiver over the Chain Bridge, to behidden in an unused gristmill onthe Virginia side; but a nearbycannon factory made this refuge toodangerous for more than a night.By the time the British enviedWashington on August 24, thedocuments were 11,aded towardLeesburg, Virginia, in wagonsPleasanton had borrowed from localfarmers.

As the Wilke House, Capitol,and other buildings burned thatnight, the Constitution \%as thirtyfive miles away, safely locked in theempty Rokeby house in Leesburg. Itwas returned to the nation's capita:in September.

Within Washington, how eet,the parchments continued to inoNe

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Independence Hall was the seat ofCongress in 1776.

about. Addresses included a houseon G Street near Eighteenth Street,Northwest; the War Office until1820; Fifteenth Street and Pennsyl-vania Avenue, where the Treasurynow stands; Fourteenth Street nearS Street in 1866; and in 1875, theState, War, and Navy Building atSc % -nteenth StrePt and Pennsyl-vania Avenue. "Carefully wrappedand placed flat in a steel case," theConstitution awaited its rendezvouswith the American public.

The Library yearsWith the spring of 1920 came

a new order from the secretary ofstate. l committee would be formedto define preservation measuresfor "those documents of supremevalue" under the department'scustody The committee studieo thesafe then housing the Constitution,finding it to be of thin steel neitherfireproof nor offering "muchobstr ..tion to an evil-disposedperson:'

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The committee also noted that,by an act of 1903, any executiveagency might transfer to the Libraryof Congress File books, maps, andother materials it no longer used.President Theodore Roosevelt hadearlier ordered some State Depart-ment rc,.ords of the ContinentalCongress thus transferred. Thecommittee now recommended thatthe Constitution be given over tothe custody of the Library; with thepossibility of public exhibition to beconsidered.

In September of the followingyear. Secretary of State CharlesEvans Hughes forwarded an exec-!ANT order for the signature ofPresident Warren Harding Insti-gated by the State Department'slibrary director and former chief ofthe Library of Congress Division ofManuscripts, the order called forthe trar :cr of the Constitution andDeclaration to the Library. In acovering letter Hughes stated that"in the Library of Congress thesemuniments will be in the custody, ofexperts skilled in archival preser-vation, in a building of modernfireproof construction, where theycan safely, be exhibited:.

111M=ImpW,

Harding signed the order onSeptember 29, praising the transferas one that might satisfy thelaudable Wish of patriotic Ameri-cans to have an opportunity to seethe original fundamental documentsupon which rest their independenceand their government:.

Hughes sent the order toLibrarian of Congress lierbertPutnam the next day notifyingPutman of his readiness to turnthe documents over 10 you whenyou are ready to receive them:'Putnam, already more than twodecades into his for tyyear term as

Librarian, was so ready to receivethis prize for his institution that heturned up instantly at the StateDepat tment in the Library's ModelT Ford mail wagon. He signeda receipt for the parchments,cushioned them on a pile of leathermail sacks in the Ford, andreturned to the Library; where heplaced the documents in his officesafe.

There they remained, across thestreet from the Capitol, awaiting aproper facility for display In 1923a Congressional appropriationprovided $12,000 for a "safe,permanent rpository of approp iatedesign" in the Library. A commi .teeof scholars had already advised thatthe parchments could be exhibitedif they were hermetically sealed andprotected against strong light. Thatexhibition standard was now met ina marble, bronze, and glass shrinedesigned by Francis H. Bacon.

On February 28, 1924, in thepresence of President and Mrs.Calvin Coolidge, Secretary of StateHughes, and a contingent of mem-bers of Congress, the Constitutionwas installed in its public shrine,which graced the second-floorexhibition hall of the magnificentItalian Renaissance Library ofCongress Building. Oddly for allthe rhetoric that had gone beforeand was yet to come in mattersconcerning the documents, theinstallation ceremony took place"without a single utterance, savethe singing of two stanzas ofAmerica.'"

Over the next seventeen years,until 1941, the Constitutionremained on view at the Library;but in 1933, at the dedication of themassive new National ArchivesBuilding below Capitol Hill,President Herbert Hoover fanned acontroversy that would smolder foralmost two decades: the Archivesversrs the Library as the futurehome of the parchments.

Architect John Russell Pope hadincluded a grand interior exhibitionspace in his design for the Archives.

Soon after the groundbreakingin 1931, this rotunda had beendescribed as a monumental spacefor displaying "documents ofparticular public interest:' Atthe cornerstone and dedicationceremony in February 1933,President Hoover declared, "Therewill be aggregated here the mostsacred documents of our historythe originals of the Declarationof Independence and of theConstitution of the United States:'

The Library of Congress,however, did not agree. In 1935,Librarian Putnam was quoted in anewspaper as saying "President

From 1924 to 1952,the Declaration ofIndependence andConstitution wereenshrined at the Libraryof Congress.

Hoover made a mistake:. Putnamdenied the quote later, but toldArchives director Robert Connorthe nation's first Archivist thatthe documents should remainwhere they were. The Libraryargued that it held the parchmentsas a result of executive order andcongressional act, that a millionpeople a year viewed the treasuresin the Library's shrine; and thatfor the historian the documentscomplemented surpassing materialin our general collection that willnever be duplicated in the archives :'

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Left: Arriving at the National Archives in anarmored personnel carrier on December 13,1952, the Con6titiflon and Declaration ofIndependence wet... :nstalled in theirpermanent home in the Exhibition Hall's rotunda.

Below: The unveiling ceremonies for the"Charters of Freedom;' December 15, 1952,featured as speakers both President Harry S.Truman and Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson.

From about 1935, PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt took the sideof the National Archives. However,he was advised to be patient withthe "proprietary" Herbert Putnam.

In March 1938, Putnam brushedoff as newspaper gossip the rumorsof an imminent transfer of theparchments to the Archives. Hedismissed the Archives Rotunda,with its murals depicting thesignings of the Declaration andConstitution, as merely "somethingthat looks like a setting fordocuments:'

Archivist Connor was notpleased.

Putnam retired in July 1938.About a year later, the newLibrarian of Congress, poetArchibald MacLeish, made it clearthat he would support the transfer,not because he thought that NA, hatPutnam had described as a "verycharming" shrine was, as Rooseveltcalled it, a "little medieval thing.;

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y

but because the engrossed parch-ments "are not important asmanuscripts, they are important asthemselves. Not to use; to look at:.They belonged not in the Library'sManuscript Division, but in theArchives.

As if by inertia, however,the documents stayed put untilDecember 1941, when the shockof Pearl Harbor convinced analready worried MacLeish that theLibrary's treasures must be removedfor safekeeping. Two days beforeChristmas, along with the Decla-ration, the Constitution was takenfrom its shrine, packaged in acid-free paper and millboard, andlocked in a specially designedbronze container. The day after

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Christmas, under armed guard, thebronze container was sealed withlead, packed in an oak box, andtrucked to Union Station. WriterRobert Penn Warren, the Library'sconsultant in poetry late in the war,tells the story in meticulous detail:

There [at Union Station] thecases were transferred toCompartment B, car A-1(Pullman sleeper "Eastlake"),of the "National Limited" of theBaltimore & Ohio Railroad. Thecompartments adjoining andinterconnecting on each sidewere occupied by Messrs.Shannon and Moriarty of the U.S.

Secret Service. . . . The SecretService agents were armed.

Where was the Constitutionheaded? For Louisville, Kentucky,and the Bullion Depository at FortKnox.

It has been arranged to place theshipment in compartment 24 ofthe vault, a compartment 16'x 9'situated in the outer tier on theground level. Here the wrappingpapers of the oak cases weretorn off, the markings and sealsverified, the cases placed in thecompartment. The temperaturewas read as 73 degreesF., thehumidity estimated as 90% to95%. Under these conditionsthe hermetic sealing became ofinstant importance. The key tothe compartment was placed inits case in the vault, and the keyto this case was removed to asafe in the office of the ChiefClerk. At 12:07 the vault wasclosed.

There in its muggy tomb, theConstitution remained until Sep-tember 1944, disturbed only by anoccasional check for condition anda change of containers (from bronzeto steel) in 1943.

On Sunday morning, October 1,the Constitution was once again inits Washington shrine. In a smartceremony with Marine color guardand band, Librarian MacLeishreopened the exhibit to the public.Concluding his remarks, he laudeda nation conceived in "free choiceof the human spirit" and one thatdared to choose its own form ofgovernment. Addressing the honorguard stationed by the shrine, hestated:

The sheets of vellum and theleaves of ancient paper in thesecases which you guard are thevery sheets and leaves on whichthat form of government and thatconception of human life werebrought into being. Nothing that.aen have ever made surpassesthem.

The journey just westThe transfer that was to take

place never occurred underRoosevelt's administration. Thewar interrupted MacLeish's interestin the r nnsfer; MacLeish left hisLibrary post in 1944; Solon Buck,who served as Archivist after thewar, felt the documents were ingood enough hands at the Library;and Roosevelt died in 1945. Thesame year, President Harry S.Truman chose the self-confident,

. the acquisition ofthe Constitution and theDeclaration marked a nosand long-awaited era ofpublic esteem.

sometimes flamboyant LutherEvans as Librarian of Congress.Another s1 years passed beforeEvans explic rly indicated hiswillingness to go along with thetransfer. Meanwhile, Wayne Grover,Archivist since 1948, becamedetermined to pry the documentsfrom the Library once and for all.

Grover let his feelings be knownafter a September 1951 ceremony atthe Library Attended by PresidentTruman and other dignitaries, theevent celebrated the "permanent"encasement of the documents inspecial helium-filled cases. Groverwas clearly fed up "with ceremonieswhich gave the impression that thedocuments would remain everlast-ingly in the Library of Congress."

A hint of accord from Evans,however, encouraged Grover to setin motion the cumbersome politicalmachinery that would finally movethe parchments a few blocks west.He ordered a legal brief and achemical report prepared. The firstargued that the ;..ational Archivescould indeed house the documents;the second showed the superiorityof conditions at the Archives forthe parchments' security andpreservation.

Evans agreed, but he wantedto observe the proper protocol,including approval by the presidentand other chief officers and con-cerned committees. Letters andmemos went back and forth. Grogtook no chances, building a caseas indestructible as he claimed

National treasures at the Archives: Washington's Annotated draft of theConstitution (front) and official journal of the Constitutional Convention.

15 13

the Archives Building to be. Hepresented evidence that even aftera direct hit on the Archives by anatomic bomb, the Constitutioncould be dug out of the debrisintact.

Still, Evans, whose backgroundwas in political science, movedwith caution, and the maneuveringdragged on for months. A counselremarked thaz there was no contro-versy between the Archives and theLibrary; who were merely "engagedin a mutual and harmonious effortto discover ways and means bywhich the transfer may be effec-tuated pursuant to law" Yet thelegal questions multiplied, until atone point it seemed only an act ofCongress could cut through them.

Finally, the issue was boileddown tc a relatively simple request

Viewed down 20 feet from theExhibition Hall, a conservator is atwork carefully cleaning a casecontaining a page of the Constitution.

"Transfer of certain documents tothe National Archives" that couldbe put before the Joint Committeeon the Library on April 30, 1952.With some hesitation, the commit-tee gave its unanimous approval toItem Five among eight items on itsagenda, ordering the transfer of theDeclaration and Constitution.

Evans, thus "ordered" to act bywhat the Library described as a"routine application" of statutes,could face those of his senior staffmembers who abhorred the idea.One such staffer was David Mearns,chief of the Manuscript Division.Projecting what must have beena sense of personal loss, Mearnslamented, "to have been hosteven to have been host by suffer-ance to those imperishablerecords has been to enjoy a tran-sient prestige which the Library isunlikely ever to enjoy again"

A symbolic actThe Library's prestige survived

well enough, maintained by suchexhibited treasures as a GutenbergBible and Lincoln's handwrittenGettysburg Address, not to mentionthe unequalled volume and depthof the research collections. For theNational Archives, however, theacquisition of the Constitution andthe Declaration marked a new i.ndlong-awaited era of public esteem.At last, the display cases buil. tohold what Hoover had called themost sacred documents of ourhistory' no longer stood as theconspicuously, embarrassingly"empty shrine"

On a sunny December 13, 1952,the Constitution took what is hopedwas its last journey. Carefullyencased and crated, the parchmentsrode on mattresses in an armoredMarine Corps personnel carrierrumbling down Pennsylvania andConstitution Avenues on tractor

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16

treads. The vehicle was accom-panied by two light tanks, amotorcycle escort, a color guard,two military bands, ceremonialtroops, and four servicemencarrying submachine guns.Members of all the armed servicesand other spectators lined the route.

Two days later, in a ceremonypresided over by Chief Justice FredM. Vinson, the documents wereformally enshrined in their specialexhibit cases. President Trumanwas on hand to offer thisencomium:

We are engaged here today in asymbolic act. We are enshriningthese documents for future ages.This magnificent hall has beenconstructed to exhibit them, andthe vault beneath, that we havebuilt to protect them, is as safefrom destruction as anything thatthe wit of modern man candevise. All this is an honorableeffort, based upon reverence forthe great past, and our generationcan take just pride in it.

This magnificent hallThe Constitution thus rests in a

setting whose magnificence seemsequal to the ever-increasing glory ofthe document. Indeed, the settingcontributes to that glory. Afterpassing between the colossal bronzedoors above Constitution Avenue,the visitor crosses a foyer and entersthe Rotunda. Seventy-five feet to thedome, the marbled room presents acavernous, cathedral-like atmos-phere inspiring awe and reverence.High on the walls to the left andright (facing north toward theCharters of Freedom) are theromantic 1936 murals of BarryFaulkner to the left, celebratingthe Declaration, and to the right,the Constitution: The latter showsJames Madison submitting theConstitution to George Washingtonand the Constitutional Convention.

Finally, straight ahead, threebroad stairs rise to a platform onwhich rests the bronze and marble

Kenneth Harris, director of preservation policy and services, inspects conditionof the Constitution in its protective vault at the National Archives.

1715

ai

As part of its effort to preserve the Constitution and other important documents, the National Archives installed a highlysophisticated electronic camera specially designed to monitor the condition of both the ink and the paper.

case containing the Constitution,the parchments of which lie almostflat. Behind the case, the Declara-tion of Independence is displayedvertically in its own secure butgraceful frame. Overall, the chartersare framed by a sy mmetrical shrineof four Corinthian columns andvaricolored stone.

Two of the bronze-framed panelshold the first page of the Constitu-tion ("We the People . . 7) and thesignature page. As the caption tothe left explains, pages two andthree and the Letter of Transmittalare exhibited only on ConstitutionDay, September 17, and are kept inthe vault below the rest of the year.

The third panel holds an originalparchment copy of the Bill ofRights, which was in the possessionof the National Archives long beforethe transfer of the Constitutionfrom the Library of Congress. Thedocument is the federal govern-ment's official copy of the first tenamendments to the Constitution,thirteen other copies were madeand sent to the states forratification.

16

In March 1940, as requestedby the Library of Congress, theNational Bureau of Standardssubmitted a basic plan for preser-vation of the documents. Thebureau recommended sealedreceptacles containing an inert gassuch as helium and a moisturecontent of four grains per cubic foot.World War II put the plan on hold,hut in 1945 the preservation projectbegan in earnest. Careful experi-ments tested the effects of variedlighting and atmospheric conditionson parchment that is, on theprotein compound collagen, theessential constituent of animalskins. Along with the bureau'sscientists, experts from the firms ofLibbey-Owens-Ford Glass, EastmanKodak, and American WindowGlass contributed to an effort thatresulted in a trial sealing offacsimile documents in 1950.

The test established the effec-tiveness of the sealing procedureand leak-detection system, and in1951 a soldered lead strip lockedthe Constitutional parchmentsthemselves into their airtight

18

protective sandwiches of bronze,glass, cellulose, and helium. Thecases have proved themselves fordecades now; displaying the Consti-tution in its third century in exactlythe visible condition as that of 1950.

To ensure that any nonvisibledeterioration of the parchments willbe detected, the National Archivescontracted in 1985 for design of amonitoring system employing thelatest technology to assess the stateof preservation . . . with specificattention to changes in readabilityfrom ink-flaking, ink-fading, off-setting of ink to glass, changes indocument dimensions, and enlarge-ment of existing tears and holes:.The long-term monitoring system,contracted with the Jet PropulsionLaboratory, California Institute ofTechnology; through the NationalAeronautics and Space Administra-tion, is space-age indeed. Its designcalls for an electronic imagingdevice similar to that of NASA'sspace telescope and the kind ofcomputer analysis used to interpretdata from the Voyager space probes.

Alan Calmes demonstrates the various uses of the electronic-imaging system designed to take a "fingerprint" of the exactstate of the Charters of Freedom at any given moment and to match the current state with earlier recordings.

Vault within a vaultThe National Archives Building

itself was conceived as an enormousvault; it is essentially a doublebuilding, with one cube inside andprojecting above the other. Theinner cube is a vast concrete vaultsubdivided into smaller vaults.

Situated approximately in thecenter of all this vaulting is theextraordinary, fifty-ton steel andreinforced concrete vault containingthe Constitutional parchments intheir sealed enclosures. It wasmanufactured by the lAilosler SafeCompany expressly for the docu-ments. Its own w:7,11s and sliding lidare each one foot and three inchesthick, and it is shielded by at leastthree masonry walls on each side.Directly above the lid is a shaftleading tw,..rity-two feet up to thedisplay s' trine in the Rotunda. Ascissor-jack apparatus raises aplatform carrying the enclosedparchments from vault to exhibitshrine each day of public display;at closing, the platform is lowered.The vault's lid stays open whenthe documents are raised each

morning. Those pages of theConstitution that are not regularlydisplayed are kept in a containerwithin the vault.

Alongside the shrine in theRotunda, two armed guards arestationed to answer routine ques-tions and, of course, to protect thedocuments. The electric jackingapparatus to lower the documentscan be operated by the guards. Aback-up manual system can also dothe job.

Could a determined hostile agentbreak into the case and damage theparchments before being stopped?It would be extremely difficult. Thethick glass and other bulletproofmaterial atop the exhibit case arealso linked to an alarm system setoff by jarring pressure. Breakage ofglass, among other warning triggers,will cause the platform to retreat toits vault. Other armed guards arestationed nearby to take necessaryactions.

Such an action became necessaryfor the first time on October 10,1986, when an assailant steppedup to the shrine shortly after

19

the Exhibit Hall's opening hour(K a.m.) and delivered a series ofhammer blows to the outer glass.The claw hammer put star-shapedholes in the half-inch protectiveglass, but did not damage the sealedenclosures beneath. Two guardssubdued the assailant, who wascharged with destruction of federalproperty.

The two-hundred-year-oldparchments are at the end of theirtravels and safe not only held instorage "'as safe frOm destruction asanything that the wit of modernman can devise,' but safelydisplayed so that millions caaappreciate the original charters ofAmerican nationhood.

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William Blakefield

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rSTITITTIONAI

CilitiOIDBicentennial Films

Our bicentennial film program offered the National Archives

an opportunity to bring the history of the Constitution to a

broad, nonscholarly audience. In the last several decades,

motion pictures have become part of our educational

landscape, demonstrating their ability to dramatize history in

a way not possible by any other means. The goal of "The

Constitution on Film" series was to present to an adult

audience the major events surrounding the drafting of the

Constitution, the historical development of our system of laws,

and a contemporary look a, the governmental institutions that

evolved from the outline provided by the founding fathers. A

second series, "Trial by Jury," featured seven Hollywood

courtroom dramas that have played a major role in shaping

popular perceptions of American jurisprudence.

The constitutional film program was part of an ongoing

series of free public film screenings that have been held at the

National Archives for several years. Our theatei on the fifth

floor of the Archives' main building, is capable of showing

motion pictures in 35mm and 16mm formats and has recently

been equipped with a large-screen video projection system.

"The Constitution on Film" was presented on Fridays at noon,

while "Trial by Jury" was shown at noon on Thursdays (with a

repeat screening at 7:00 p.m.). The program ran from July 18

4,'0

through September 17, ConstitutionDay.

Initially "The Constitution onFilm" series seemed to be the mostchallenging to program. While there-creation of history is a naturalarea for motion pictures, it is adifficult feat to accomplish success-fully Most of us who attendedschool during the 1950s and 60shave rather unpleasant memos ies ofclassroom films that attempted tograpple with historical subjects.Millions of school children sufferedthrough poorly written and cheaplymade films with titles like OurLiving Constitution or Ow FoundingFathers at Philadelphia. If memory isto be trusted, these films invariablypresented characters deliveringdialogue heavy with historical"fact":

-R111111V`

Montgomery Clift (left) and Raymond Burr (standing right) appear in "A Place inthe Sun," a melodrama based upon a monumentally successful novel.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN: Mr.Paterson, I would like you to meetEdmund Randolph who has justproposed the Virginia Plan.

WILLIAM PATERSON: I understandyour plan proposes a bicameral,or two-house, legislature withdelegates apportioned according tothe population of each state.

RANDOLPH. Correct, sir. Is it truethat your New Jersey Plan proposesa legislature with a single houseand with each state having but onedelegate?

N. Kepros as Aaron Burr in "UnitedStates v. Burr." Tried for treason in1807, Burr was quickly acquitted.

21

PATERSON: Indeed it does, sir.I wonder if some sort ofcompromise is nc c possiblebetween the two plans?

FRANKLIN: Perhaps, gentlemen.But if so, it will have to be a verygreat compromise..

Early screenings for "TheConstitution on Film" seriesconfirmed many of the worst fearsabout the classroom films of theperiod. Fortunately, however; as theselection process continued, it

The -Trial by July" series wasintended as an exploi talon ofa film genre .

became apparent that during thelast twenty years educational filmshad changed enormously. Wi :hpolished scripts and relatively highproduction values, these morerecent films attempted to bringhistory to life presenting historywithin the structure of a validdramatic narrative. While notalways cinematic masterpieces, theydid at least recognize the growingsophistication of successive genera-tions of students raised on suchtelevision programs as Roots andThe Adams Chronicles.

Perhaps no single person hascontributed to the growth of the

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cduLational film aloft than RA t tSaudek who, during the 1950s,produced the television seriesOmnibus. This critically acclaimedprogram presented dozens ofhistorical dramas all performedlive before an audience of millions.In 1964, Robert Saudek producedthe Profil,s in Courage series forNBC, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by John r KennedyEach of the scripts of the programhad been personally approved byPresident Kennedy shortly beforehis death, making this the first timea president of the United States hadbeen involved in the production of atelevision dramatic series. RobertSaudek's own production company,Robert Saudek Associates, laterwent on to create more than adozen films for the classroom thatare now part of the curricula invirtually every school system in theUnited States.

Since several films by RobertSaudek were used in "The Constitu-tion on Film" series, he graciouslyagreed to provide introductoryremarks at the firs.: screening (Mr.Saudek is now chief of the MotionPicture Division of the Library ofCongress in Washington, DC.). Thisopening program featured a two-part film by Robert Saudek aboutthe American Revolution, The Causeof Liberty and The Impossible War.Made in 1972, these titles wereselected because they effectivelypresented many of the issues that,uncerned Americans in the decadebefore the drafting of the Consti-tution. They tell the true story ofyoung John Laurens (played by thethen-unknown Michael Douglas)who is an American student study-ing in London. Faced with thedeteriorating relationship betweenthe colonies and Great Britain,he decides to return home to joinin the stn .ggle. John fights atGermant,wn, experiences thediscouragement of Valley Forge, andobtains French support for thecolonists. Tragically, he is killed inan ambt.sh immediately following

22

the surruider at Yorktown.The Cause of Liberty and The

Impossible War are models of historybeing brought successfully to thescreen. Much of the narration anddialogue are taken directly fromactual correspondence betweenJohn Laurens and his father Henry;president of the First ContinentalCongress. Thus, the issues impor-tant to their lives loyalty to themother country; slavery in thecolonies, the hardships of the warare integrated naturally into thefilm. This level of authenticitywould be difficult to achieve werethe events-of-the-period-seenthrough the eyes of fictionalcharacters. It is a tribute to thefilmmaker that many in ouraudience were visibly moved bythe death of John Laurens arare accomplishment for an"educational" film.

Allit-11 of Ow siit-a.cs oldieNr.. 1 i('. 11101 hale' ht chit' It)

1.01010100.t.'I)Opti10/11.1 ofih tt iu1 Jilin

Several of the titles used in "TheConstitution on Film" series weredocumentaries. One highlight wasStorm Over the Supreme Court,produced as a CBS special report in1961. The film did an expert job oftracing the history of the SupremeCourt, with an emphasis on someof its more controversial decisions.Although more recent films havedone more comprehensive and up-to-date treatments of the subjectmatter, none can duplicate itspresentation of the words ofAmerica's great legal minds indramatic readings by Carl Sand-burg, Fredric March, ArchibaldMacLeish, and Mark Van Doren.Programs like Storm Over theSupreme Court are a reminder ofwhat we have lost since suchprogramming has largely disap-peared from the commercialnetworks.

Nimmtassilit,Ed Holmes played JOhn MarshalIn 'V.:Chief Juaticer a film',.'concerned with historid cede-,crulectonby the Marshall Cour .

The most popular film of TheConstitution on Film" series wasundoubtedly Crisis: Behind aPresidential Commitment, firstbroadcast by ABC News in October1963. This landmark documentaryshowed the confrontation betweenthe Kennedy administration andGovernor George Wallace over theintegration of the University ofAlabama. Crisis was one of theearliest films in the cinema veritemovement of documentary film-making, made possible by theincreasing mobility of 16mmcamera equipment. For the firsttime, the filmmaker was able tofollow his subjects with his camerato record their activities as theyparticipated in real events. Thus weare permitted intimate access toplanning sessions in the WhiteHouse between President Kennedyand Attorney General RobertKennedy, as well as in the AlabamaState House between GovernorWallace and his staff. This is historyat its most gripping, allowing theviewer a remarkably candid view ofa dramatic confrontation betweenstate and federal authority. We werepleased that "The Constitution onFilm" series permitted us to screenthis rare historical document thathas slipped into near obscuritysince its original broadcast.

While it was hoped that ourprogram of Hollywood courtroomdramas, "Trial by Jury," would havewide popular appeal, great publicinterest in classic fictional filmsis by no means guaranteed. Incompetition with videocassettesand cable television, many commer-cial repertory film theaters havereported declining attendance inrecent years. In our case, however;we were pleasantly surprised to findthat the "Trial by Jury" series was tobe one of the most popular filmprograms we had ever held. Atten-dam° was strong at the outset, andgradually grew as the seriescontinued.

Much of the success of the seriesmay have been due to the contin-

21

Spencer 'Racy and Fredric Marchappeared in "Inherit the Wind," a filmof the 1925 trial pitting evolutionists

against fundamentalists.

22

uing popularity of the trial filmitself. Since the beginning of thesound era in motion pictures,courtroom dramas have beenpopular with audiences. Many ofthe early films were transferreddirectly from the stage or frompopular literary works. Among themost successful of these during the1930s were the Perry Mason films,which were based on the books byEarle Stanley Gardner (Perry Masonwas alternately played by DonaldWoods, Warren William, andRichard Cortez). Film proved to bean ideal medium for the courtroomdrama, heightening conflict throughthe use of close-ups and cross-cutting among the characters.

The trial film reached its heydayduring the 1950s and 1960s. Unlikeearlier films that were essentiallymelodramas, postwar filmsfrequently reflected the socialconcerns and values of their time.Growing sensitivity to racial issues,for example, was mirrored inTwelve Angry Men and To Kill aMockingbird. George Stevens's APlace in the Sun, loosely based onTheodore Dreiser's An American

li-agedy, raised fundamentalquestions about traditional Amer-ican values of home and familyversus the more "modern" pursuitsof wealth and status. Changingsexual attitudes were reflected inAnatomy of a Murder, whichalthough mild by today's standards,used explicit language in thedepiction of a rape case.

The "Trial by Jury" series wasintended as an exploration of a filmgenre, rather than a literal depictionof how our legal system actuallyoperates. Yet it is worth noting thatmany of the films in this series wereclosely based on fact. Inherit theWind was a fairly accurate portrayalof the Scopes trial, frequently usingthe actual transcript from thecourtroom for much of the dialoguesomething no dramatist couldhope to improve upon. Other filmsin the series that were taken fromreal cases were The \Wong Man,Compulsion, They Won't Forget, andAnatomy of a Murder. Many in ouraudience reported that seeing thesefilms inspired them to go to thelibrary to learn more about thecharacters and events depicted, thusadding an unanticipated educa-tional component to the series.

More than thin. thousandp attended thesesci ceilings in the inainbuilding of the Archives . . .

Early in the planning for ourbicentennial film progranvseveralof the National Archives fieldbranches expressed an interest inpresenting films in their severallocations in cities throughoutthe country. Each branch wasthus given an information packetcontaining the names and addressesof distributors for the films as wellas publicity materials, includingpress releases and still photographs.This approach allowed each branchto customize the programs in a waythat best served its needs. Indivi-

dual branches' series ran severaldays to several weeks in length andtook place throughout the year.

The field branches reportedintense interest in the constitutionalfilm programs in their communitiesand were frequently able to arrangecosponsorship with local organi-zations. This arrangement not onlyenabled the field branches to "bringthe Constitution to the people" inan entertaining way but also helpedthem to strengthen cooperativerelations with other institutions.Peter Bunce, director of the ChicagoBranch, was able to integrate hisseries with those regularly held bythe Chicago Public Library LibraryCultural Center. In several othercities, local universities offered thefilms for academic credit. \'illanovaUniversity; working with ourPhiladelphia Branch, made atten-dance mandatory for several classesin its Communications ArtsDepartment a captive audience,perhaps, but no less welcomebecause of it. Other institutionsparticipating in the NationalArchives film program %vac BentleyCollege C.Iassachusetts), the NevJersey State Museum, the JimmyCarter Library, the Johnson County(Kansas) I listorical Museum,Christian UnNersit), the Fort WorthPublic Libra!), the Denver CenterCinema, Saddleback College ofMission Viejo (California), theSeattle Public Libra!), and theUniversity of Washington.

Our constitutional film programproved to be among the mostpopular of the many et ents held bythe National Archives during thebicentennial. More than threethousand people attended thesescreenings in the main buildingof the Archives, tt hile a similarnumber satk the program under thesponsorship of the field brandies.By presenting two different series,we were )11: to attract an audiencewith a wide variety of interests. Itwas perhaps not surprising that"The Constitution on Film" series,

with its greater educational"content': attracted a somewhatsmaller but enthusiasticaudience. Nevertheless, it wasgratifying to learn that both "TheConstitution on Film" and "Trial byJury" were regarded as substantialenough educationally to be offeredfor credit at the college level.

As with previous public filmscreenings, we found "The Consti-tution on Film" and "Trial by Jury"series reaped benefits for theArchives beyond their immediate

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In "To Kill a Mocking Bird," GregoryPeck defended a black man accusedof murder in a small southern town.

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educational value. Through theefforts of our Public Affairs Office,the program was heavily publicizedin local newspapers and magazines.With different titles being screenedeach week, the sheer repetition ofthe publicity no doubt played amajor role in heightening publicawareness of the bicentennial andthe National Archives' role in thecelebration. Furthermore, the largenumbers of people who attendedthe screenings enabled us to reach alarge audience with announcementsabout other bicentennial events atthe Archives, including exhibits,lectures, and the 87-Hour Vigil.

The experience gained through

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cur bicentennial film program hasdemonstrated a great public supportfor historical celebrations beyondwhat was anticipated. A frequent(and welcome) criticism of the"Trial by Jury" series, for example,was that only seven courtroomdramas were presented. Certainly, aseries of ten or twelve such filmswould have permitted a fullerexploration of the genre. While thesupport for "The Constitution onFilm" was not quite as strongoverall, the large attendance forseveral of the documentary titlesindicated that the public also has akeen interest in film as historythe major commitment of ourongoing public film programs.

For a complete listing of themotion pictures presented in ourbicentennial film program, pleasewrite to:

Office of Public ProgramsThe National ArchivesWashington, DC 20408.

Contributor. Rouyn: Butler

Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, andHumphrey Bogart starred in"The Caine Mutiny:'

BrtfblioPersonalities Share in the Celebration

in an average yeal the NationalArchives attracts about one millionvisitors to its main building onConstitution Avenue. During 1987though, the bicentennial anniver-sary of the U.S. Constitution drewmore people than ever before to theRotunda. During the week of the87-Hour Vigil alone, more than37500 visitors stopped in to viewthe documents. Among the thou-sands who came in 1987 were a

number of visitors well known inthe fields of politics, entertainment,journalism, and sports. They cameto see the Constitution, to partici-pate in special events, and to usethe Archives as a setting for specialbroadcasts.

Among the representatives ofgovernment who came to help cele-brate the Constitution's anniversarywere former Chief Justice of theSupreme Court Warren Burger;

Former White House Counsel Lloyd Louis Powell, refired Supreme CourtCutler spoke on the Constitution. Justice, opened the 87-hour vigil.

()R 27

retired Associate Justice LewisPowell, John Stennis, president protempore of the U.S. Senate, SenatorStrom Thurmond, Senator CharlesMcC. Mathias, and mayors WilsonGoode of Philadelphia and MarionBarry of Washington, DC.

Entertainers from stage, screen,television, and sports made appear-ances at the Archives. S:age starJoel Grey was interviewed on radio,movie star Gregory Peck was filmed

Gregory Peck recorded a dramaticConstitutional commentary.

25

in the Rotunda for a program byCBS, and television star Bob.igew-hart toured the building. During thevigil itself, world boxing championSugar Ray Leonard stopped by tosay a few words on the meaning ofcitizenship.

The Rotunda in Washington, DC,may have been the focus of nationalattention, but the celebration wasalso carried on throughout thecountry in the National Archives'field branches. Well-known person-alities took part in observances ofthe anniversary in various branches.Speaker of the House Jim Wnght,Senator Thomas Eagleton, thegovernors of Colorado and Kansas,Mayor Andrew Young of Atlanta,and Metropolitan Opera singerJerome Hines all participated infestivities designed to bring themessage of the Constitution to asmany people as possible.

As the 87-Hour Vigil's registershows, visitors from all over thecountry and the world came toobserve the bicentennial anniver-sary of the Constitution in itspermanent home in the NationalArchives. On these pages a few ofthe notable visitors are pictured.Because they are recognized by thepublic, they could make the publicmore aware of the event. But allwho shared in the celebration,regardless of their fame, wereessential to the success of the bi-centennial commemoration and tothe affirmation of the centrality ofthe U.S. Constitution to Americanlife.

26

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1. Former Chief Justice Warren Burgerwith several young Constitutionviewers.

2. CBS Evening News with Dan Ratheropened and closed in the Rotunda onSeptember 17.

3. Marion Barry, the mayor ofWashington, DC, added his words tothe celebration.

4. Preston Tisch, Postmaster General,unveiled new Constitution stamps inthe Rotunda at the National Archives,August 28, 1987.

5. Sen. Strom Thurmond spoke at asymposium sponsored by the ArchivesVolunteer Constitution Study Group.

6. Gov. Richard Thornburgh ofPennsylvania (center), and MayorWilson Goode of Philadelphia. (right)

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1. Princess Alexandra journeyed fromKent, England, for a close look at theConstitution.

2. Prof. Dick Howard of the Universityof Virginia and Sen. Charles Mathiasof Maryland.

3. Bob Newhart (center) examinedConstitutional documents at theArchives.

4. Ralph Nadar visited Exhibition Hallduring the bicentennial yen

5. Sugar Ray Leonard proved to be acrowd-pleaser during the 87-hourvigil.

6. Frank Burke greeted Speaker of theHouse Jim Wright during the bicen-tennial year.

7. Always popular with schoolchildren,the Constitution was viewed by over amillion persons in 1987.

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Emily Soapes

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ExhibitingConstitutional

Documents

The National Archives and Records Administration, with

headquarters in Washington, DC., and field locations across

the country, is truly a national institution. During the year of

the Constitution's bicentennial, exhibits at several Archives

locations were presented to bring citizens closer to their

documentary heritage. "The American Experiment: Creating

the Constitution;' "The American Experiment: Living with the

Constitution;' and "Would You Have Signed the Constitution?"

at the National Archives Building; "'Tis Dori! We Have

Become a Nation" at many of the Archives field branches; and

"We, the Japanese People" at the Washington National Records

Center at Suitland, Maryland, are at widely different locations,

but they have a unity of purpose: to increase interest in and

understanding of the Constitution through the display of

archival holdings.

The Archives used its most visible exhibit space the

bronze cases flanking the Constitution and Declaration of

Independence to respond to keen interest in the

bicentennial year in the writing of the Constitution. "The

American Experiment: Creating the Constitution" presents a

look at the nation's formative years from 1775 to 1791, with a

focus on the conception, creation, and early implementation of

this charter of our government.

32

As the home of the permanentlyvaluable records of the U.S. govern-ment, the National Archives has inits holdings the great milestonedocuments that chronicle thebeginnings of our government.Examples of these great documentsincluded in "Creating the Constitu-tion" are the first printed version ofthe Declaration of Independence;the Articles of Confederation; theresolution of the ConfederationCongress calling for a conventionduring the summer of 1787, theVirginia Plan, proposed early in theConstitutional Convention andwhich served as the basis for theConstitution, a printed draft of theConstitution, and a draft of the Billof Rights.

But great events are only part ofthe st3ry of the making of theConstitution While these docu-ments are important, by themselvesthey tell very little about theconcerns and mood of the generalpopulation. To include the point ofview of the common man, thecurator of "Creating" chose asampling of documents created byordinary people. Many of theserecords have never before beendisplayed. Concerns of citizens atthe time our Constitution waswritten are shown by suchtitems asa 1785 letter from an eighty-one-year-old woman to the Confedera-tion Congress requesting financialassistance. Her name was ElizabethThompson, and she had served atone time as George Washington'shousekeeper Financial problemsaffected groups of citizens as well,as seen in the minutes of a meetingof Boston merchants in 1779.Frustrated with runaway inflationand with the government's inabilityto resolve the problem, themerchants took matters into theirown hands by freezing prices ofcertain "necessaries of life" such astea, rum, molasses, brown sugarand chocolate.

Also on exhibit is a 1783 anti-slavery petition signed by nearly sixhundred Quakers, protesting the

institution of slavery on moralgrounds even before the debates ofthe Constitutional Convention. Butthe public in 1787 did not know thecontent of the debates in Phila-delphia, as seen by an articlepublished in a Massachusettsnewspaper on September 5, 1787,that speculated on the work of theconvention being conducted behindclosed doors.

These documents are fascinatingin themselves for what they tell usabout daily life in late eighteenth-century America. But the voices of

Tr

"The American Experiment" exploredways in which the Constitution affectsour daily lives.

31

The road to women's suffrage was ahighlight of the Archives exhibit.Inset: Another section focused On the President and the draft.

these little-known authors alsocommunicate a great deal about thecircumstances from which theConstitution emerged. personalfinancial pressures, frustration atgovernment inability to resolve apressing economic problem, theslavery controversy already gnawingat the unity of the states, andsuspense as the public anxiouslyawaited disclosure of theconvention's work.

More than a million people haveviewed "Creating the Constitution"since it opened in October 1986.and the exhibit will remain openuntil spring 1989. Most of ourvisitors are not professionalhistorians; many of them havecome to the Archives Building onlyknowing that it contains thenation's Charters of Freedom: theDeclaration of Independence, theConstitution, and the Bill of Rights.Through exhibitions in the Rotundasuch as "Creating the Constitution,"we hope to provide a historicalcontext through which visitorsmay better understand the greatdocuments they have come to see.

Many visitors have expressedsurprise at certain aspects of the

......................

?.1

Top: Over 25,000 visitors waited theirturn to view the Constitution duringthe 87-hour vigil.

Bottom: Executive power is one keyissue that the exhibit focused on.

35

story of the Constitution presentedin "Creating." They were surprisedto learn that while the Articles ofConfederation were in place, eachof the thirteen states retained itssovereignty and independence, thatthe delegates to the ConstitutionalConvention were authorized merelyto revise the Articles of Confed-eration, not to create an entirelynew plan of government, that theconvention as a body agreed tostrict rules of secrecy so that thepublic knew nothing of the specificsof the proposed Constitution untilthe delegates completed their workon September 17, 1787; at theintricacy of the deliberations that

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led the delegates slowly andpainstakingly from conflict toconsensus; at the closeness of theratification contest and at the fearsaroused by the creation of a strong

33

central government, and to learnthe little-known fact that Massa-chusetts ratified the Bill of Rights in1939 as the nation prepared for thesesquicentennial of the adoption ofthe first ten amendments.

In creating the Constitution, thefounding fathers confronted manydifficult choices. An interactivecomputer display developed anddonated by Apple Computer andScholastic, Inc., allows visitors tothe Archives' Rotunda to "vote" onsome of the issues of 1787 such as

, . ivinv with thet it n v,iellirI ,,

documents from +n-dinot)ii! tens » /tort at(

off,. k it a II), al, (,111.,1,,,,,..

the manner of choosing the Presi-dent. A copy of the Constitution'spreamble appears on the screen,and visitors are invited to use acomputerized quill pen to "sign"the Constitution. While the displayintrigues visitors of all ages, youngpeople have proven much morecomputer-literate than their elders,

34

Presidential war powers was anotherfeature of the exhibit.

gathering in front of the screen anddiscussing among themselves thevery issues faced in Philadelphia in1787

"Would You Have Signed theConstitution?" gives visitors an ideaof the difficulty of creating a frame-work of government. "Creating theConstitution" presents the back-ground for the ConstitutionalConvention and the beginning ofthe federal goveniment. Whileneither is an in-depth study, theyare intended to increase our visitorsunderstanding of the Constitutionand some of the issues that havebecome dominant themes ofAmerican history. A larger exhibit inthe Archives' Circular Gallery"Living with the Constitution"more fully explores three of many ofthese constitutional issues over twohundred years.

To reinforce the theme that theConstitution 'natters in our dailylives, "Living with the Constitu-tion" examines three constitutionalissues persisting throughout ourhistory. who has the right tovote, what are the powers of thecommander in chief, and what arethe powers of the states and federal

36

A computer quiz enabled visitors tovote on Constitutional issues of 1787.

government (specifically in schooldesegregation).

As visitors walk through theArchives' Circular Gallery; theysee well-known items from theArchives' vast collection, such asthe Nineteenth Amendment givingwomen the right to vote; thepetition of Homer Plessy in thelandmark Supreme Court case ofPlessy v. Ferguson; the joint reso-lution declaring a state of warbetween the United States andGermany in World War 1, the signedcopy of the much-disputed WarPowers Resolution, the FourteenthAmendment, the Supreme Courtdecision in Brown v Board ofEduLauon, and other recognizablegreat documents in constitutionalhistory

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View of the Exhibition Hall's circular gallery:Inset: Thomas Nast's engraving, "Uncle'Sam's Thanksgiving Dinner,"advocated the ratification of the 15th Amendment, 1869. p

But like "Creating theConstitution:' "Living with theConstitution" includes documentsfrom ordinary citizens whose livesare affected by the Constitution.For example, a photo of thecommander in chief drawing draftnumbers is shown next to a photoof young men scanning draft listsduring World War I. An actual draftlist from the Selective Servicerecords in the Archives' Atlantabranch hangs nearby.

Of 1)111p0k;(' 01 tAllibilN al ale,11 (1111CY, Is 10 shOill Olf

diversilwd holding\ . . .

One purpose of exhibits at theArchives is to showcase ourdiversified collection, and animportant part of that collection isthe motion picture and sound

36

recording collection. Tl.ree audio-visual stations lure video-consciousviewers through "Living with theConstitution:' Soon after visitorsenter the gallery, they hear the voiceof Lyndon Johnson in 1965 ashe sends voting rights legislationto Congress "to carry out the[Fifteenth] amendment to theConstitution:' "It is wrong to denyAmericans their right to vote"because of the color of their skin,the president asserts. Visitors alsosee and hear the government'scontemporary (1943) explanationof why the power of the command-er in chief has been used to internJapanese-Americans during WorldWar II, an action now recognized tohave violated those citizens' rights.And they view a 1963 film of theconfrontation between the state andfederal governments, in whichGovernor George 'Wallace decries

:38

A model of the blockade runner Dareis the focal point of this exhibit caseconcerned with Civil War matters.Inset the KKK intimidated blacks inthe South and kept them away fromthe polls.

Viewed from 75 feet above the floor ofthe Rotunda, this shrine houses

America's most important andcherished documents.

. illel i aeiliN CVL1111111ed

lie lllS ale a 111C-Pai 0de1i 'I (i ( i ii \Vl- NO( IZadeI linnet (111(1 l'.5. Alarshals"Iti.i.,iitsticks . .

"the unwelcomed, unwarranted,and force-induced intrusion" of the"might and power of the centralgovernment" at the University ofAlabama. At this video station morethan any other, parents often stop toexplain to their children a historicalev. '. that they remember.

Tr-present fingerprints on theexhibit cases in "Living with theConstitution" tell us that othercarefully examined items are anine-foot model of a Civil Warblockade runner in "What are thepowers of the commander inchief?") and U.S. Marshals' night-

sticks from Little Rock and amannequin dressed in fatigues likethose worn by federal troops inLittle Rock (both in "What are thepowers of the state and federalgovernments?"). These and otheritems were borrowed from insti-tutions around the country for theexhibition. "Living with theConstitution" opened in April 1987and will be on display untilSeptember 1988.

But not everyone could cometo Washington to see originaldocuments or to use a computersimulation. To meet the needs oflocal groups for bicentennialcommemorations, the Archivesdeveloped a facsimile exhibitentitled, "'Tis Done! We HaveBecome a Nation:' Making copies ofwell-known, important documentswidely accessible, "'Tis Done"reproduces landmark documents

37

that led to the writing andratification of the Constitution,such as the resolve of the Confed-eration Congress calling for theconvention in Philadelphia, theNew Jersey Plan, the resolve of theconvention regarding ratification,and the Senate draft of the Bill ofRights. This popular set of twe.;typoster-sized document reproduc-tions with captions has provenuseful to schools, libraries, localhistorical societies, and otherorganizations nationwide.

To publicize the existence of theNational Archives field branches,the Field Archives Division spon-sored displays of modified versionsof the "'Tis Done" exhibit at thebranches in Boston, New York,Chicago, Kansas City, Fort Worth,and Denver. To more broadlydisseminate the word about thefield branches, many of thebranches sponsored poster displaysat other public locations as variedas the rotunda of the New JerseyState Capitol, Texas ChristianUniversity Library; the U.S. DistrictCourt in Kansas City, Missouri, andthe Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater inVail, Colorado.

Even when the bicentennial isover; the "'Tis Done" poster exhibitwill still be available for sale throughthe Archives' Marketing and Fulfill-ment Branch (NEPS), and the fieldbranches will continue to circulatetheir version to stops such as theNew Hampshire State Archives(sponsored by the Archikes Bostonbranch).

Taking an international approachto constitutional studies, theArchives also produced an exhibitentitled "We, the Japanese People.U.S. Influences on Japan's Consti-tution" at our Washington NationalRecords Center in Suitland,Maryland. The audience at Suitlandconsists of National Archives staffand researchers, many of whomcome to the facility for specificresearch in twentieth-centuryrecords. Using the records of theSupreme Command Allied Powers

38

(SCAP), which are housed in theSuitland center, the exhibit tells thestory of the constitution-makingprocess in post-World War II Japan.

SCAP staff under Gen. DouglasMacArthur wrote a constitution forJapan in a week's time as part ofthe "reconstruction" of Japan.Highlights of the exhibit includereproductions of the PotsdamProclamation, urging Japan tosurrender; the Japanese authoriza-tion of the surrender; S\VNCC 228,the Army's major policy documentguiding the occupation; and theemperor's proclamation announcingthe new constitution. "We, the

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The National Personnel RecordsCenter created a unique exhibit usingposters from several sources.

Japanese People" opened inNovember 1986 and \b ill remain atthe records center in Suitlandindefinitely.

Even though they containimportant documents on the two-hundred-year-old story of theConstitution, there is much moreto tell than "Creating the Con-stitution," "Living with theConstitution," or "'Tis Done! WeHave Become a Nation" canaccomplish. "'Tis Done" highlightsa few milestone documents from theperiod in which the United Statesbecame a nation. "Creating theConstitution" and "Living with the

40

Constitution" touch on some issuesthat have become dominant themesof American history: the role of thecentral government versus the roleof the state governments, theconcern for civil liberties, theperpetuity of the Union, and theoperation of representativegovernment accountable to thepeople. For two hundred yearsAmericans have had the libertyunder the Constitution to debatethese issues, a fact the NationalArchives celebrated in 1987

Contnbutors, Stacey Bredhoff, RosanneBuda , Claudta Nkholson

Prk

2

4

1. Copies of National Archives postersadorned a San Francisco library.

2. The NARA poster exhibit appearedin lobbies across the nation.

3. Ross Perot's loan of a Magna Cartaadded luster to the Archives'Constitutional exhibits.

4. The Washington Records Centerfeatured a look at the JapaneseConstitution.

1

3

. 1.,

41 39

Wayne Cook

40

CelebratingaSpecial

AnniversauCelebration, dedication, and education public events at the

National Archives stressed these themes during the

bicentennial of the United States Constitution. The National

Archives, permanent home of the great chartei provided a

focus for activities in the nation's capital. These activities

complemented those held not only in Philadelphia,

Pennsylvania, where the framers signed the Constitution, but

also in other parts of America, where millions celebrated the

blessings of and dedicated themselves to the principles

embodied in this historic document.

Public events at the National Archives also promoted an

understanding of the U.S. Constitution and, in the words of

James Madison, its "numerous innovations displayed on the

American theatre, in favor of private rights and public

happiness." In this respect, the public events complemented

the film series, educational programs, conferences, and

exhibitions sponsored by the National Archives.

Three years of planning helped the National Archives target

a diverse nationwide audience one that outnumbered the

population of the thirteen states joined by the 1787

Confederation by about one hundred times. To meet this

objective, events took place not only in the National Archives

Building in Washington, DC., but also in the agency's

42

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43

presidential libraries, field archivesbranches, and federal recordscenters across the nation.

Public events at the NationalArchives reached a climax onSeptember 17 Constitution Day; butwell before then the NationalArchives began contributing muchto the nation's bicentennial effort aswell as building momentum for theagency's own 87-Hour Vigil.

. . . mote than one thousandradio siotiow, I ctittcstetiagcnoS -Bitoiterfaid1Digests-

For example, the NationalArchives helped the Commissionon the Bicentennial of the U.S.Constitution, the SmithsonianInstitution, We the People 200,Philadelphia 200, Project '87 WaltDisney World, and other public andprivate groups to plan activities.The National Archives Building alsoprovided an appropriate setting formeetings and receptions held from1985 through 1987

Meanwhile, the NationalArchives generated nations ideinterest in the bicentennial. In thespring, for instance, more than onethousand radio stations requestedthe agency's "Bicentennial DailyDigests:. which summarizedproceedings of the ConstitutionalConvention. Some digests made itinto print, courtesy of the Cham-pion International Corporation, theworld's largest carton-convertingmanufacture which produces300-350 million half-gallon milkcartons monthly.

U.S. Marine Corps Band ceremoni-ously helped to usher in the 87-hourvigil, the capstone of NationalArchives bicentennial celebrations.

41

The National Archives PublicAffairs Office eagerly sought othersources of publicity as well. Forexample, photographs, ideas, andinformation provided by this officesoon con-ributed to features inTime, National Geographic,Newsweek, American Heritage,Smithsonian, Life, Daughters of theAmerican Revolution Magazine,Southern Living, The New York Times,The Washington Post, and TheWashington Post Magazine. Thebackground, effects, and preser-vation of the U.S. Constitution wereamong the topics covered.

Gregory Peck, working with CBS,and Peter Jennings, David Brinkley,and Ted Koppel of ABC visited theNational Archives Building toproduce documentaries that wouldbe televised during the 87-HourVigil. The Public BroadcastingSystem also relied heavily onNational Archives resources. "InSearch of the Constitution;' BillMoyers's twelve-part series, filmedportions of the show inside theExhibition Hall PBS premiered itsbicentennial minutes inside thehall, too. On September 10 theNational Archives theater providedthe first showing of a televisionspecial narrated by Carl Rowan,"Search for Justice: Three AmericanStories': which featured a rareinterview with Justice ThurgoodMarshall.

Drumme; U.S. Army, 3dInfantry Old Guard Fife andDrum Corps.

42

44

Through the museum shop andsales by mail, the National Archivesconducted a brisk trade in bicen-tennial memorabilia. A special flyerCelebrating the Constitution, listednumerous items, including books,posters, T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs,totebags, scarves, videocassettes,and films. Free memorabiliaincluded a braille edition of theConstitution.

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The variety of merchandisemight even have astonishedBenjamin Franklin, one of the mostinventive delegates of 1787 Nodoubt America's first postmastergeneral would have been pleased,too, with a special ceremony onAugust 28. In the Exhibition Hall ofthe National Archives, agencyofficials joined the U.S. PostalService in unveiling a senes offive stamps commemorating thebicentennial and featuring portionsof the Preamble to the U.S.Constitution.

By early Septembe the nation'scapital still sweltered under highhumidity, a main obstacle theframers of the Constitution hadfaced in 1787 As the rain fell,however; three years of planning

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Constitution Avenue steps, and eventhe lawn had repeated bookings.

Special flyers, posters, pressreleases, messages on radio andtelevision, advertisements in neNN s-papers and magazines, and featuresin Prologue and the NationalArchives monthly Calendar of Eventsall promoted the vigil. Only hoursbefore the vigil started, messagesalso flashed across the electronicbillboard at Robert E KennedyMemorial Stadium. Appropriately,the game opening the footballseason featured the Eagles fromPhiladelphia, where the Constitu-tion was signed, and the Redskins

Top Left: The National Archivescelebrated the Constitution's 200thbirthday in an 87-hour vigil.

Top right: Continental Color Guard,U.S. Army, 3d Infantry outside theConstitution Avenue entrance.

Bottom: Panorama of the ExhibitionHall depicting the Faulkner Murals.

culminated in the bicentennialactivities of the 87-Hour Vigil.

Beginning at 6:00 p.m. onSeptember 13 and ending at 9:00a.m. on September 1Z the vigilencompassed eighty-seven hoursin which the National ArchivesBuilding remained open continu-ously. During the vigil, the publiccould view all four pages of theU.S. Constitution, two of whichnormally remain in the vault excepton each September 17 The vigil alsoincluded numerous special eventsleading to the Constitution Dayceremony on the seventeenth. Themain theater the Archivist'sReception Room, the Rotunda, the

45

from Washington, DC., where thegreat charter is housed. The hometeam won.

At a formal ceremony precedingthe vigil, the U.S. Army ThirdInfantry Continental Color Guardand Old Guard Fife and DrumCorps provided historic flavor TheU.S. Marine Band played rousingmusic. Black limousines whisked inspecial guests. Bicycles, strollers,and running shoes brought in fellowcitizens. Representives of the threebranches of government spoke atthe ceremony. Joining Dr. Frank G.Burke, Acting Archivist of theUnited States were the HonorableLewis Powell, Associate Justice of

43

87 HOUR VIGIL:NATIONAL TRIBUTE TO THE CONSTITUTION

SEPTEMBER 13-17, 1987

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4446

the Supreme Court (retired), andHonorable John C. Stennis, Presi-dent Pro Tempore of the U.S. Senate.

A special reception featuring theU.S. Marine Band String Quartetfurther brightened spirits, honoringtwo hundred distinguished guests,associates, and benefactors of theNational Archives. The privatelyfinanced reception represented one,if many ways the government andcitizens joined in celebrating thebicentennial.

The vigil quickly gainedmomentum and attracted enormouscrowds. Visitors arrived early in themorning, and long lines formeddown the Constitution Avenue stepsof the National Archives Buildingand along the sidewalk. About 6:00

a.m., joggers from the Mall wouldswell the lines.

Inside the Exhibition Hall, GirlScouts slapped stickers on pocket-size editions of the Constitution,passed out these free souvenirs, andmaintained a special registei whichwas later deposited in the NationalArchives, recording for posterity thenames and home city and state orcountry of vigil participants. Somevisitors added their own messages.Among the unusual entries was thislament. "Laila Arnaoot wanted tobe here but she had home work,McLean, VA:'

Sight of the U.S. Constitutionawed most visitors. Some poredover the great charter, reading mostof its content. Others reverently butbriefly eyed the document. Formany, the pilgrimage included a

Above: The news media covered thebicentennial events at the NationalArchives.

Left: Girl Scouts ensured that visitorssigned the register and receivedcopies of the Constitution to takehome.

Below: Dressed in colonial garb, a towncrier and companion posed beforecolumns at the Archives.

.47 45

Creation of the Constitution wasrecreated in a live drama at the

Archives, "Gallant and Lawless Act."

;,,,,t--:41,

Ben Franklin and friendsstarred in the play "Four LittlePages;' in the Archives Theatre.

46

visit to the museum shop and thecircular gallery, site of the bicen-tennial exhibition "The AmericanExperiment. Living with theConstitution"

One visitog bemoaning the three-hour wait, suggested that theNational Archives should have useda conveyor belt to move the crowdsalong. The man next in lineprotested: "I came from Iowa to seethe Constitution, and I'll never behere again. I don't want to behurried." The Archives staff agreed.Another reason for the long lineswas that many people thought allfour pages of the Constitution wereon public display only once everyone or two hundred years, notannually. Some people, of course,might miss the tricentennial.

Flanked by guards, the shrine inthe Exhibition Hall shone brightlyunder the golden lights. JointService Military Honor Guards, talland erect, stood in the front, barelyeven blinking. Other honor guardsfrom various Washington areasecurity forces and even one group

ille 28.,8.1',

ing It(11)gliy01 ticguard

Left: Some of the festivities tookplace at the Capitol.

Below: Ceremonial Honor Guards set ahigh profile during the vigil.

Bottom: Colonial Cotillion ofAlexandria performed dwing the87-hour vigil.

Jr

Watching an honor guard standingmotionlessly, one child asked "Isthat man real?" Many isitors askedthe same question about the greatcharter they had come to view.Miracles are sometimes hard tobelieve. To be certain, one skepticspent about twenty minutescomparing words in the charter tothose in the pocket-size reproduc-tion he had received at the door

of Boy Scouts also stood watch Y erthe document.

Although the lines oftenthickened and noisy flocks of schoolchildren passed through, solemnityusually prevailed. The crowdsalways hushed during the changingof the guard. The replacements,with silent precision, entered theExhibition Hall. Heel clicksricocheted off the marble wallswhile chills ran through theaudience and pulses quickened.

The vigil, of course, had itslighter moments, too. One blessingof liberty is unrestrained mirth.

61? 49 47

Touch-screen computers added amodern touch to the vigil. Visitorscould answer questions about theConstitution and choose the bestreason cited in the Preamble foradopting the great charter. About 37percent, including voters in theregional archives branches, chosethe "blessings of liberty( The leastpopular reason, cited by only 5percent, was to "provide for thecommon defence:'

Another special computer exhibitalso asked visitors whether or notthey would have voted for theConstitution. Whereas the 1787delegates used quill pens, theirmodern-day counterparts voted witha computer "mouse:' By a vote of5,537 to 1,717, the participantsapproved the Constitution. Was theopposition unpatriotic? No. Afterall, the absence of a bill of rightshad disturbed many Americans in1787, and some of the most prom-inent signers had thought theoriginal document had its faults,such as letting slavery continue.

During the vigil, the NationalArchives Building hummed withactivity outside the Exhibition Hall.The public could hear freedom sing,courtesy of the Potomac HarmonyChorus, Singing Capital Chorus,and the Vienna-Falls Chorus,International. The ColonialCotillion of Alexandria, in periodcostume, instructed audiences inthe minuet as well as in practicaland coquettish use of the fan. Tohonor the world's oldest writtennational constitution, Sugar RayLeonard, world boxing champion,made a personal appearance andspoke of the responsibilities ofcitizenship. Films and lecturesaugmented the potpourri.

Three plays commissioned a yearbefore and based on NationalArchives records offered insight intothe U.S. Constitution. "Gallant andLawless Act" provided a fast-paced,amusing look at serious issuesconfronting the framers. "MostGracious Wit" focused on the sus-pension of habeas corpus during the

48

Civil War. "Red Spiderweb" spun atale about communist hunts duringthe 1920s. All three plays, part ofa regular program of theaterworkshops and presentations, weremounted elsewhere after thebicentennial celebration at theArchives.

The vigil also included a"Constitutional Relay Run" initiatedby the U.S. Army. Flanked byMarion Barry; mayor of the Districtof Columbia, Dr. Burke presentedcopies of the U.S. Constitution toSecretary of the Army John Marsh.Runners rushed the copies tovarious cities in Virginia, ending atFort Monroe in Hampton. About175. years ago, the original docu-ment also had endured a hastyhorseback trip to Virginia shortlybefore the British burned the capitalcity during the War of 1812. In 1987the relay symbolized a purpose ofthe vigil bringing the Constitu-tion to the people.

On September 16 the vigilactivities overlapped with those ofCitizenship Day; which wasprimarily sponsored by theCommission on the Bicentennial ofthe U.S. Constitution. Thousands offederal employees crowded thegrounds of the U.S. Capitol toobserve a special ceremonyhonoring the Constitution. Thehighlight of the nationally televisedevent at the Capitol was the pledgeof allegiance, led by PresidentRonald Reagan. Those waiting inline to enter the Exhibition Hallsaw themselves on television as theABC network set up a live remotecamera at the National Archives. Inthe National Archives Building,Citizenship Day ended when DEBurke presented awards and prizesto Dennis Means and Mary Rephlo,National Archives employees whoscored the highest on two quizzesthat tested knowledge of constitu-tional issues and trivia.

As Constitution Day approached,publicity intensified. The greatcharter soon competed withpolitics and scandals as front-page

49

Left: A naturalization ceremony washeld in the Rotunda on September 17.

Below: The Marine band proved to be acolorful addition to the festivities.

news and suppertime topicsNationally televised documentanesincluded "Blessings of Liberty" and"We the People 200. The Constitu-tional Gala" Both included views ofthe U.S. Constitution and theExhibition Hall. Canadian,Swedish, Spanish, and Australiantelevision networks also coveredthis historic anniversary.

Television commentators whocovered the vigil included DanRather Peter Jennings, and RichardThrelkeld. Alan Calmes, chiefpreservation officer of the NationalArchives, also gained fame. In a C-Span interview conducted in Julyand aired during the vigil, heexplained the advanced technologyfor monitoring the condition of the .

U.S. Constitution and ensuring itspreservation.

On radio, the "Larry King Show"included an interview with Dr.Burke and Joel Grey inside theExhibition Hall. "Morning inAmerica" featured Dr. Burke andNorvell Jones, chief of the Docu-ment Conservation Branch. TheBritish Broadcasting Companyimmortalized and internationalizedthe words of National Archives staffmembers Linda Brown and RalphPollock, a volunteer docent, whileother stations interviewed Milton

50

Gustafson and Claudia Nicholson.The end of the 87-Hour Vigil

was near. More than twenty-fivethousand persons had alreadyparticipated, including visitors fromall fifty states and sixty-onecountries. Large crowds, howeverstill awaited a glimpse of the greatcharter

As 9.0e a.i, , approached, JamesMegronigle, Lcting AssistantArchivist for Management andAdministration, selected the threevisitors who would be the lastparticipants in the vigil. The threewere Patricia Adams and herdaughters Lauren and Meredith.

'52

Meredith, aged 10, was the last tosign the register of visitors. Mr.Adams, owner of a hog farm inSnow Hill, North Carolina, wasbusy lobbying on Capitol Hill,seeking a more perfect legislativeproposal.

Though the vigil ended, the daywas becoming even more specialnot just in the United States but inother nations, many of which hadadopted large parts of our Constitu-tion. Dark clouds disappeared fromover the capital, and sunshineushered in guests to a specialceremony the naturalizationceremony, highlight of the two-

crontiliv.thoit,..:11 (in ctctrt erh.Scricnslit 17, had tl \1',i"( tiltinnillint: in ION7

Below: The Postal Service issuedConstitution Commemorative stamps.

Below right: Hon. Barbara Jordan spokeat the naturalization ceremony.

hundredth anniversary celebrationof the signing of the U.S.Constitution.

The naturalization ceremony;though an annual event eachSeptember 17, had a specialmeaning in 1987 Eyes gra% limedtoward the shrine, the shiny bronzecases that display America's mostprecious, historic documents. Onthis day especially, the shrine servedto unite all, regardless of diversereligions and national origins. Thefirst page of the U.S. Constitutionoccupied the highest case, facingthe audience and temporarilyreplacing the Declaration of

Independence, the object of abicentennial celebration elevenyears ago.

In black robes, the HonorableHarold H. Greene, judge of theUnited States District Court for theDistrict of Columbia, presided. Headministered the oath of allegianceto twenty-five newly naturalizedcitizens. The Acting Archivist, Dr.Frank G. Burke, emphasized thehistoric significance of the occasionand addressed the daily; Nang -termsignificance of the NationalArchives in preserving our rights.He then introduced the featuredspeak4 the Honorable Barbara

e 53

Jordan, former congresswomanfrom Texas and currently a pro-fessor at the Lyndon B. JohnsonSchool of Public Affairs, Universityof Texas at Austin.

What a superb choice. The fram-ers had compromised on slaveryand never even mentioned the wordin the Constitution; and nationalsuffrage for women had to wait until1920, with the Nineteenth Amend-ment. In 1787, the existence ofstates west of the Mississippi werevague concepts in the framers'minds. Yet on September 17, a blackwoman from Texas addressed themerits of the U.S Constitution.

Noted for candor and intelli-gence, Ms. Jordan, in a rich,resonant voice, acknowledged the

51

framers' need for compromises,including on the slavery issue, as atemporary price for a more perfectunion. She lauded the framers'passion for freedom. Their work,she argued, had "unmatchedimportance in the history ofmankind:'

The National Archives video-taped the message for later viewing,but it already had made a lastingimpression. Who could dispute Ms.Jordan's conclusion that the Consti-tution was "not just a lifeless pieceof paper" but "alive and well inAmerica"? No doubt this develop-ment would have pleased JamesMadison. For in his Federalist No.48, the founder of the theory ofpluralism had predicted that a"mere demarcation on parchment"would not be a sufficient guardagainst a concentration of power oragainst tyranny.

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crowds. By late afternoon thehumidity was oppressive. Blindingsun glared off the white marbleConstitution Avenue steps, but lineslengthened until 5.00 p.m. whenExhibition Hall finally closed itsdoors. Later that evening, aprivately financed receptionattracted approximately fivehundred invited guests to celebratethe two hundredth annmersary ofthe signing of the Constitution.Entertainment was provided by theU.S. Army Field Band StringQuartet.

To accommodate the public, theNational Archives decided to keepall four pages of the Constitution ondisplay through Sunday September20. During that period, more than11,500 additional persons visitedthe Exhibition Hall. In one week, atotal of about 37,500 persons hadvisited the National Archives anestimated 60 percent of them forthe first time.

52

Iii one lied:, a totol 01 thorn37:500 pertir)111. hilti t / 4ite dNational t chi%es

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Capt. David Cashman raised theConstitution high on board the USSConstitution in Boston Harbor.

55

While bicentennial events atthe National Archives Building,especially the 87-Hour Vigil, werean outstanding success, Americansoutside the capital celebrated thebicentennial, too. The star 'f theNational Archives regionalbranches, federal records centers(FRCs), and presidential librariescontributed much to thiF nation-wide observance, giving newmeaning to the slogan, "You Don'tHave to Go to Washington, D.C., toVisit the National Archives:'

Throughout the bicentennialcelebration, the field offices soughtmaximum publicity for their localevents and the nationwide obser-vance. For example, the regionalarchives branches played a key rolein soliciting radio sponsors forthe agency's "Bicentennial DailyDigests:' These branches and otherfield offices also prominentlydisplayed specially designedpatriotic banners, created speakersbureaus, and arranged televisionand radio coverage of upcomingevents.

Most field offices either held theirown public events or spearheadedcooperative efforts with FederalExecutive Boards and other federalagencies. The results reflected thediversity of America as well as thecolorful imaginations of NationalArchives employees.

As Constitution Day approached,field offices sponsored open houses,craft shows, stamp exhibits, plays,and essay contests. These officesalso displayed touch-screencomputers, polling and quizzing thepublic on the Constitution Someparents hesitated to touch thecomputers until children demon-strated their adult-proof safety:

Visits made by Dr. Frank Burkehelped build grassroots enthusiasm.For three important reasons Dr.James B. Rhoads joined the team inSeattle, Washington, He had joinedthe National Archives on the veryday in 1952 when it received theConstitution from the Library ofCongress, he was Archivist of the

53

Right: Former Archivist James B.Rhoads spoke at the Constitutional

celebration in Seattle.Below: A high school band caught

people's attention in Topeka.

54

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56

United States for twelve years, andhe was born on Constitution Day.

The civic campaign soon gainedthe endorsement and support of animpressive array of national andlocal celebrities. For example,participants in ceremonies cohostedby the National Archives fieldoffices included U.S. Senator JohnDanforth (MO) and his formercolleagues, Senators Gary Hart(CO) and Thomas Eagleton (MO);Governors Michael Hayden (KS)and Roy Romer (CO); HouseSpeaker James Wright (TX);Congressmen Tom Lantos (CA),and Robert Dornan (CA); MayorsRaymond Flynn (Boston) andAndrew Young (Atlanta); andMetropolitan Opera star JeromeHines.

On Citizenship Day, September16, field office employees worepatriotic colors and joined in the

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In Lill the ter emonies,more than twelve hundredinch% iduals 11Cc amc

American citizens.

Right: New York celebratedConstitution Day with band and choir.

Below: Children's International PeaceChoir in California.

10

nationally televised pledge of alle-giance, led by President Reagan.The Los Angeles Federal RecordsCenter planted a large Carrot Woodtree bearing a plaque to commem-orate the occasion.

Festivities peaked on Consti-tution Day, September 17. Six fieldoffices cosponsored naturalizationceremonies that day, preceded bythe one held in Fort Worth on April24. About twenty federal judges,joined by local bar associations andthe Immigration and NaturalizationService, participated. AT&T,extending an arrangement made at

7

the National Archives Building,offered each new citizen a free longdistance call anywhere in the world.At the Chicago ceremony, one newcitizen shouted into the phone: "ButPapa, it's free!" In all the ceremon-ies, more than twelve hundredindividuals became Americancitizens.

Adding celebration to solemnity,field office employees joined inbirthday parties held not only atgovernment buildings such as theJFK Federal Building and GeorgiaState Capitol but also at suchunusual locations as the DenverBotanic Gardens, Candlestick Park,Knotts Berry Farm, and the deck ofthe U.S.S. Constitution. The partiesfeatured bell-ringing, cake-cutting,sky-writing, and stamp-dating.

Bands played, choruses sang,color guards paraded. Officialsissued proclamations and read partsof the Constitution, copies of whichNational Archives employees helpedto distribute. At the Herbert H.Hoover Presidential Library ch.. car-illon issued a two-tone peal lastingan appropriate two hundredseconds.

An estimated thirty-six thousandpeople attended Constitution Dayevents cosponsored by the NationalArchives field offices. This figure,almost equal to the seven-day totalattending the vigil in the NationalArchives Building, certainly con-firmed Ms. Barbara Jordan's viewthat the Constitution is "alive andwell" in America.

Contributors: Jill Breit, Rosanne Butler,Pat Carole°, Susan Cooper, Elsie Freeman,Christopher Geann, Cynthia Hightower,Edith James, Marilyn Paul

55

Above: A public reading of theConstitution in Chicago.

Right: Kansas Governor Mike Haydensigned a Constitution posteE

Below: 13,000 citizens took part in aConstitutional poll at NARA facilities.

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Above: Baseball and the bicentennialat Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

Top Right: Constitutional ceremoniesin Boston led by Mayor Ray Flynn.

Center right: Banners adorned manyNational Archives Centers.

Below: Judges led new citizens in thePledge of Allegiance in Topeka.

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Jean Iltst Mueller

58

Teachingand the

Constitution

During the 87-Hour Vigil, a woman with two young sons and

a third child slung in an infant carrier endeavored to pass the

time standing in line as profitably as possible. Soothing her

school-aged boys' impatience, she read the Preamble from her

souvenir copy of the Constitution, explaining it to them in

terms they could understand. She drew their attention to the

shrine and the inscriptions above it.

The eldest, taking her cue, stopped fidgeting and pointed at

the Barry Faulkner mural across the Rotunda from them.

"Mamma': he asked, "Who are those men up there?"

"Those are the men who signed the Constitution;' she

replied.

"How long ago was that?"

"Two hundred years ago," she patiently informed him.

He was silent a moment, staring at the archaically garbed

assemblage, before wondering aloud, "Were there dinosaurs

back then?"

Dinosaurs seem to stimulate childrens' curiosity and

enthusiasm without much help from parents or teachers. The

Constitution, its continuing history, and the issues engendered

by it require considerable assistance. The Education Branch of

the Office of Public Programs devoted much of its attention

over the past four years to assisting teachers to grow more

60

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knowledgeable about the Consti-tution and about ways to teachstudents about the great document.Initially, the efforts of the branchwere focused on developing Con-stitution education materials, butas September 1987 drew near anddemands for personalized assistanceaccelerated, an increasing amountof time was spent in workshops andin-service programs, consulting,and responding to educationalqueries by mail and phone.

By fall of 1983 standardized testresults and several studies hadconfirmed that an appallingly largenumber of students had a poorunderstanding of the Constitutionand citizenship issues. Educationstaff at the National Archives beganto prepare documentary materialsthat would examine the constitu-tional era, the development of theConstitution through both formaland informal means, and theevolution of constitutional issues.Using the holdings of the NationalArchives, our objective was todevelop a supplemental teachingunit and to write a series of maga-zine articles that would assistteachers in secondary schools andjunior colleges. We hoped studentswould come to understand andappreciate the Constitution as avital force in their daily livesrather than to uncomprehendinglyworship four antique pages in a coldmetal and stone shrine.

In November 1985 The Constitu-tion. Evolution of a Government waspublished. Like the six units thatpreceded it on other historicaltopics, this was a supplementaldocumentary teaching package. Itconsisted of thirty-four documentsand a teachers guide with lessonplans and other instructional aids.

Ms. Walker's third graders, Wellton,Ariz. include: Rachel Wood, Torrance

Thompson, Caleb Tilbu, and CurtisJones. (front row). Their interest

spawned this incisive inquiry.

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Former Chief Justice Warren Burger obliged young admirers by signing auto-graphs. He chairs the Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution.

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63

The reception .

The Constitution. EN olutionof a Government cAt cededthe fondest eve( unions ofboth the writers and thepublisher . . .

The unit was organized aroundthree major themes. the making ofthe Constitution, the beginning ofthe government, and the evolutionof a constitutional issue (freedom ofreligion). During the writing of theunit it became evident that the firstsection would be a grouping oflandmark documents. Althoughdesired by teachers and historicallyessential, they lacked personalwarmth and the intrigue of eye-witness narratives. Thus the secondsegment, the beginning of thegovernment, took the form ofwitnesses describing or addressingthe government. Accounts rangedfrom David Bradhead's letter toWashington asking him for aposition in the new government tothe report on the WhiskeyRebellion by a regional revenuesupervisor. Documents in the thirdsection, religious freedom, werealso selected for theirapproachability. A consistentfavorite of teachers and pupils hasbeen the 1875 memorial of 22,626women of Utah requesting thereinstatement of polygamy in theterritory

The reception by educators ofThe Constitution: Evolution of aGovernment exceeded the fondestexpectations of both the writersand the publishes; SIRS, Inc. of BocaRaton, Florida. It sold more quicklythan any documentary unit hithertoprepared by this office; in the thirdquarter of 1987, as many copies ofthe Constitution unit were sold asthe most recently introduced unit,The Truman Years, 1945-1953, soldduring its first year. Another indi-cation of the popularity of thematerial was the decision of theAmerican Bar Association to

61

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Schoolchildren from all across America helped the National Archives to celebrate the bicentennial of the Constitution. Manymailed in personal, often artistic, birthday cards.

include the Great Compromiselesson in its secondary teachersguide for teaching the Constitution.

Materials development foreducators drawing on regionaldocuments was also pursued by theNational ArchivesKansas CityBranch. Drawing from records -

the U.S. District Courts, staffmembers created "ConstitutionalRights and Civil Liberties;' asupplemental teaching unit. Sinceits completion in early 1987, thepackages have been distributed to anumber of users throughout schooldistricts in the greater Kansas Cityarea through an agreement withIBM. In October 1987 the unit wasfeatured in a "Kansas City Illus-trated" segment on a local televisionstation, which examined renewedinterest in the teaching of civics andhistory in public schools.

A broader audience for theEducation Branch has been themembership of the NationalCouncil for the Social Studies. For

62

ten years the education staff havewritten "Teaching with Documents"(formerly titled "Document of theMonth"), a regularly featureddepartment in Social Education, theofficial journal published by NCSSand distributed to its 23,000members. With the support of theeditorial staff of Social Education,the education staff of the NationalArchives embarked on a five-issueseries highlighting the Constitutionfrom September 1986 throughSeptember 1987 Topics in the seriesexpanded beyond those covered inThe Constitution. Evolution of aGovernment. Civil liberties werehighlighted with a document fromthe files of the Ex Pat to Milliganwrit of habeas corpus case. News-paper publisher Frank Gannett'sstatement on Franklin Roosevelt'scourt-packing scheme emphasizedthe theme of separation of powers.A Watergate memo to Leon Jawor-ski examined the expansion of theexecutive's power. Federalism was

64

the subject of a 1956 letter aboutschool desegregation. Finally; for thebicentennial issue, the Lase of theconstitutional ratification byDelaware was provided for study. Bysupplying a historical note to theteacher and teaching suggestionsalong with brief but educationaldocuments, the series could bereadily implemented in theclassroom.

Although Social Education istargeted to elementary as well assecondary' teachers, the member-ship of NCSS is predominantlysecondary' school teachers. Antici-pating intense interest in bicen-tennial materials for the earliergrades, the Education Branch waspleased to consult with BettyDebnam, editor of the Mint Page,on the publication of a twenty-issueseries on the Constitution. TheMini Page, an insert in the Sundaycomics, is syndicated to 450newspapers nationally A specialnewspaper -itten for elementary

. . . tlic Educational Pics:5Association of A nuhonored the Mini PageConstitution series with ameritorious achievementaward . .

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Archives Volunteer Marie Woodhelped run an all-day documentworkshop at an elementary school.

school children, it features a well-illustrated text, games, and puzzlesto encourage children to masterand manipulate the educationalinformation included in each issue.From March 1986 through Sep-tember 1987 we worked together toproduce monthly issues about theevents leading up to the Consti-tutional Convention, issues andpersonalities at the convention, thecontent of the Constitution and itsamendments, and the history of thedocument. Because of the length ofthe series and the number ofrequests for past issues, the serieswas reprinted in three sets withguidelines for teachers. Sales ofthese sets have been brisk. InMarch 1987 the Educational PressAssociation of America honored theMini Page Constitution series with ameritorious achievement award foreducational excellence in journal-ism. Rewards of a different kind

'I.

were the fan leiters, not only fromchildren and elementary schoolteachers, but also from lawyers andlaw school professors whocomplimented the Mini Page for itsoutstanding treatment of theConstitution.

Because teachers have hadlimited experience in using primarysources in the classroom, theprogram to make primary sourcematerials available to secondary

65

school classrooms has also includedteacher training. This training hasbeen provided through workshopsand in-service programs at theNational Archives, through on-siteprograms for state or district-widemeetings, and at teachers profes-sional associations across thenation. While in 1984 the educa-tion staff made six presentations,by 1986 the number had nearlytripled, to sixteen. By 1987 thenumber had skyrocketed to twenty-seven, of which twenty-four weredevoted to using primary sources toteach some aspect of the Consti-tution. The staff discovered it hadreached the limit of its physicalcapability and was forced to declinean additional six requests.

Teachers responded to thematerials and suggestions withenthusiasm. In fifteen minutes, onegroup of elementary teachersdesigned a good way to apply.knowledge of how a bill becomes alaw to the schoolroom. Theyplanned to divide a class intotwo and have each half act as acommittee charged with draftingclassroom rules for the year. Thenthe two groups, corresponding tothe House and Senate, wouldcompare rules and jointly revisethem, acting as a joint conferencecommittee, then submit the inte-grated rules to the whole class for avote Once adopted by the class as awhole (as Congress) the rules wouldbe sent to the teacher who, like thechief executive, could veto the rulesor accept them. (Unlike the presi-dent, the teacher could use a line-item veto!) When the rules weresigned by the teacher they would goto the principal of the school, who,acting as the Supreme Court, wouldjudge the legality of the rules (law)against the supreme law of theschool: the school board's policiesand regulations (Constitution). LikeCongress, the youthful rulemakerswould face the perils of veto andhaving their rules struck down bythe high court and the possibility ofhaving to start all over again.

63

Secondary teachers were no lessimaginative. A group of District ofColumbia ,nchers looked at theNorthwest Ordinance and saw it asa springboard for tracing the rightsthat were incorporated in theConstitution and Bill of Rights andexamining those which have yet toarrive, They also saw in Article Vand in the Twenty-sixth Amend-ment a means of invigorating theConstitution for their students bysimultaneously introducing fordiscussion the proposed District ofColumbia statehood amendment.Coincidentally; three weeks after the87-Hour Vigil, the DC. StatehoodCommittee conducted its owntwenty-four hour vigil on the stepsin front of the National ArchivesBuilding in Washington, D.C.

In an attempt to reach socialstudies teachers from all over thenation, proposals were submitted toprofessional conferences on thenational, regional, and state levels.Two staff persons split up andheaded to opposite ends of thenation in spring 1987 to conductworkshops for the Nort..eastRegional Council for the SocialStudies in Boston, Massachusetts,Southeast Regional Council forthe Social Studies in Savannah,Georgia; Great Lakes RegionalCouncil for the Social Studies inColumbus, Ohio, and state councilsfor the social studies meeting in SanJose, California, and Albany, NewYork. Presentations were givento audiences as diverse as theAmerican Bar Association, the FirstAmendment Committee for theScottish Rite of Omaha, Nebraska,and the Smithsonian Institution.

Significantly more audienceswere served as the regional archivesbranches organized workshops forthe general public and for teachersto improve their familiarity withprimary sources available in theregions. A We the People'. themeexpounded in ethnic genealogyworkshops proved popular inChicago, Seattle, and Kansas City.In July the Chicago Branch's annual

64

summer workshop for Great Lakesarea teachers focused on "The U.S.Constitution. A Study in FrimarySources:. Peter Burke, director ofthe Chicago Branch, obsered thatteachers completed the programawestruck by the quantity andquality of documentary materialavailable for classroom application.Representatives from the SeattleBranch participated in two teachersworkshops sponsored by Seattle's"Today's Constitution and You"group. They displayed selectedbranch holdings and discussed thedocuments' connections to theConstitution and the PacificNorthwest.

. . . !Milk\ !nil tit [punts ilthtpi othic ('(l pi ojec doled tothe Constitution and itsissues.

Since 1977 the National Archiveshas offered an eight-day workshopon the use of primary sources inthe classroom called "PrimarilyTeaching:' This workshop intro-duces teachers to the holdingsand organization of the NationalArchives. Participants learn howto do research at the NationalArchives, how o create classroommaterial, and how to presentdocuments in a way that enhancestheir students' basic skills and

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understanding of history Eachparticipant is responsible fordeveloping a unit of study withteaching strategies around a specifictopic, and many participants haveproduced projects related to theConstitution and its issues. Inrecent years, projects have includedones on Alexander Hamilton's planfor the Constitution, the use andabuse of executive power during theJapanese-American relocation, andthe evolving interpretation ofthe religion clause of the FirstAmendment in WisLonsiii v. luder.Because graduates of "PrimarilyTeaching" return to their homeschool districts as resource teachers,they have given workshops to fellowteachers on teaching the Constitu-tion. Nettie McGrath had scarcelyreturned to Lakewood, Colorado,from her workshop in Washington,DC., before being pressed into anAugust in-service program for fellowteachers. Other graduates havedisseminated their projects andthose of fellow participants thioughprint. 1986 "Primarily Teaching"participant Michael Young pub-lished fellow participant ThomasGray's unit on Alexander Hamilton'splan in Perspectives, the journal ofthe Nebraska Council for the SocialStudies.

One of the least-expected eventsof the bicentennial was the over-whelming public demand for

"Primarily Teaching" workshops help teachers learn to research at the Archivesand create teaching materials from the primary sources that they study.

66

assistance. The education staffprocessed educational queries at therate of approximately one hundredletters a month through 1987 Phoneinquiries peaked in September1987 when tile staff handled doublethe average number of requestsfrom last minute callers. Thebiggest surprise of all was theunprecedented number of walk-inconsultations. Staff membersaccustomed to two or threeconsultations a month werestunned when eighty-two educatorsfrom twenty-five states and theDistrict of Columbia came torequest guidance in teaching aboutthe Constitution in the threemonths from July to September.Even people tangentially concernedwith education came for adviceand occasionally to brag. Thepresident of the Virginia HomeExtension service collected ideasand described a planned bicen-tennial festival. A sheriff from NewOrleans, in Washington to collectmaterials, passed around colorfulsnapshots of his boys' club bicen-tennial mural as proudly as a newfather.

Teachers also took advantage of acooperative effort between theWashington Post and the NationalArchives. The Post offered toteachers an educational materialspacket that included reprints of aseries of articles about the eventsleading up to the signing of theConstitution, copies of a specialWashington Post Magazine issueabout the Constitution, a poster,and the National Archives pocketcommemorative edition of theConstitution. Also, Washingtonmetropolitan area teachers werereimbursed by the Post for the costof buses to bring classes on fieldtrips to the National ArchivesBuilding to visit the Charters ofFreedom.

Educational programs andworkshops were also carried out bythe National Archives Volunteers.The volunteer program, begun in1976 for the observance of the

bicentennial of the Declaration ofIndependence, has grown from asmall group of 9 persons to thepresent corps of 143 men andwomen \kilo provide scr ice to theNational Archives Office of PublicPrograms.

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The behind-the-scenes toursconducted by docents have alwaysclimaxed with a visit to the Char-ters of Freedom in the Rotunda.During the past two years ofpreparing for and celebrating thebicentennial, the Constitutionbecame even more of a focal pointas volunteers worked with bothvisitors to the National Archives andgroups in the Washington area.

One way in which the volunteershelped to spread information aboutthe Constitution was by assistingduring the 87-Hour Vigil. Whilepeople waited in line for up to threehours to view i,,Constitution,

,)

Many teachers and school childrenvisited the exhibition area during the87-hour vigil.

olunteers circulated along the lineto make the visitors feel welcome.Questions about the Constitutionand the National Archives werecheerfully answered, and conver-sation helped to pass the time.

Throughout the 1985-86 schoolyeax teachers featured lessons onthe Constitution in anticipation ofthe bicentennial. From September1985 through October 1987 316Constitution volunteer workshopswere presented both in the ArhivesBuilding and through school out-reach programs to 9,143 students.

The document workshops weregeared toward students in gradesfive through twelve and highlightedmore than fifty documents thatillustrated both the beginnings ofthe w ritten Constitution and theliving constitution of today

Schools responded with enthu-siasm and ..leatix II). In May 1987fourteen docents participated intwo all-day programs at PhoebeHearst and John Eaton schools in

65

Wa,hingt to commemorate th,opening of the Con,inui analConvention two hundred years ago.Before the program, students hadplayed a game with a set of tokensbut without rules. Students soondiscovered that they needed rulesbefore they were able to play andmace own rules. Each classdeveloped its own constitution. Anassembly opened the day withmusic, recitations, and drama.Later, back in the classrooms,docents brought facsimiles of theConstitution, the amendments, andother documents for study Full-sizefacsimiles of the Constitutiondwarfed the youngest children asthey held up the pages for theirclassmates.

School groups that come to theArchives Building usually combine adocument workshop with a toutOut-of-town school groups from asfar as California, Ohio, Florida,Michigan, and New York scheduledfor a tour of the National ArchivesBuilding have participated inConstitution document workshops,too.

During the spring of 1987, aseries of calls to the volunteer officeseeking a speaker for September"Constitution Assemblies** inFairfax Count); Virginia, resulted ina decision to prepare and makeavailable a slide:talk program."Creating the Constitution" wasdesigned to be used at elementaryand intermediate levels for schoolassemblies and for class presen-tations. During the months ofSeptember and October alone,thirty-eight presentations weregiven to a total of 9,752 students.

Each pr, entation opened with aseries of slices showing the NationalArchives Building and the Exhibi-tion Hall, which emphasized theidea that "the Past is Prologue:* andconcluded with the thought that theyoung students watching, theprogram would be the votingcitizens of the twenty-first century:The impetus of the bicentennial wprobably cause the ConAitution

66

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assembly programs to continue.Other docent workshops and toursfeaturing the Constitution willremain a permanent part of theprogram offenngs.

Federal Records Centers acrossthe country used the opportunitiesmade available by the bicentennialof the Constitution to sponsorstudent essay contests. The young-sters who participated proved to beblight, honest about their appreci-ation of the benefits we all receivedunder the Constitution, and,perhaps best of all, eloquent invery human, personal terms inexplaining what the Constitutionmeant to them. Winners of thestudent essay contest sponsored bythe Los Angeles Federal RecordsCenter were honored at an awardsceremony at Knott's Berry Farm'sIndependence Hall replica onSeptember 17 The San FranciscoFederal Records Center alsosponsored a Bicentennial essaycontest during the summer forchildren of employees of FederalExecutive Board member agencies.The winning essayists, includingthe child of a Japanese immigrantcouple, received their awards aspart of a formal program at the SanFrancisco Federal Records Centerand Field Archives Branch OpenHouse. In a broader sense, allstudents who participated in thesecontests, who expended the timeand effort to think about theConstitution, were winners.

In one respect, Citizenship Day,celebrated by thousands of school-children on Capitol Hill on Septem-ber 16, 1987 was anticlimactic: Onthat day, there were no teachers h.the education offices, no franticcalls for materials, no workshops,no constitutional teaching materialsbeing prepared. Yet the very quietand serenity of the day belied thefact that the efforts of constitutionaleducators were culminating wherethey were intended, in the thou-sands of classrooms across theUnited States in which dedicatedteachers and inquisitive children

studied the Constitution on its two-hundredth birthday.

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The television cameras caughtthe speeches of the dignitaries. theparades, and the tolling of bellsacross the land. All of those wordsand actions, however stirring, haveended. They are fading recollec-tions, fast becoming like sepia-toneprints in the scrapbooks of ourmemories. But the educators, whosequiet, unflamboyant work nevercame before the cameras, areintensely proud to know that theircelebration of the Constitution, ofall the celebrations, continues. Itlasts because eery yeas; in everyschool across the land, the childrenof the United States must learnabout their Constitution, to under-stand it, to obey it, and whennecessary; to challenge and expandit. There will be no three-hundredthanniversary celebration if the youngdo not learn about and cherish theConstitution, the principles itprofesses, the delicately balancedstructure it created, and theprocedures it includes that havemade it flexible enough to grow asthe country and its spirit havegrown. As long as teachers andstudents reflect thoughtfully on theConstitution, our celebration, thecelebration of the mind, endures.

Contributors. Rosanne Butler, June Robinson

9 67

Maly C. Ryan

41-14 firt&tt;'4.1TY'

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68

ACommemoration

in PrintThe National Archives staged its celebration of the bicentennial

of the Constitution using a multitude of media. The stage,

film, exhibits, and classrooms were all featured in an effort to

get the American public interested in and involved with our

Constitution. Perhaps the most traditional way in which the

National Archives reached thousands of people throughout the

nation was through( the publication of books and posters

especially released or the bicentennial. People who could not

participate in the events held in Washington or at the regional

offices could share the celebration through the printed word.

Though the public may only have been aware of the events

and programs as they happened, each of the Constitution-

related activities had to go through a long period of planning

and unglamorous production. Long before most people were

thinking of the bicentennial, the National Archives began

production on a number of special publications, both new

and reissued.

Among the books that the Archives put back into print

was Sol Bloom's The Story of the Constitution. Bloom, a

representative to Congress from New York City, was chairman

of the Sesquicentennial Commission in 1937, which produced

this popular history for the 150th anniversary of the creation

f the U.S. Constitution. After being out of print for years, the

70

book is once again available with anew introduction.

Framers of the Constitution wasbased on another popular book thathad long been out of print, theNational Park Service's Signers of theConstitution. Framers divides intotwo parts: the historical back-ground, which describes the eventsleading up to, during, and immedi-ately following the ConstitutionalConvention; and the biographicalessays, which are brief accountsof the lives of the delegates atPhiladelphia. This new editionincludes additional essays on thesixteen delegates who participatedin the convention but did not signthe Constitution.

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While the words that fill thefour parchments have achievedimmortal,_,, the man who actuallyput those words to the page haslong remained in obscurity. Withthe publication of The Man Behindthe Quill: Jacob Shallus, Calligrapherof the United States Constititton, hi.;name will be more widely known.This first biography of Shallus,written by Arthur Plo:nik of theAmerican Library Association, tellsthe story of this son of a Germanimmigrant who fought in theRevolutionary War and later wasgiven the responsibility of tran-scribing the words that formed thefoundation of our government.Landmark anniversaries in Ameri-can history are always marked withrecitals of great deeds by great men.The favorable reception of The ManBehind the Quill has shown thatreaders also want to get behind thescenes and learn about the ordinaryand too-often forgotten people whohelp make great events possible.

One of the most popular itemspublished by the National Archives

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MlleStona Ilaautheits In thelVatIonal Arahives is a series ofbooklets that repruduce facsimiles and transcriptions of theConstitution and other documents in American history.

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was the pocket-size printed text ofthe Constitution and its amend-ments. When interest in thebicentennial began to pick up in1985 and 1987, both in& 'duals andgroups looked for a handy reference.Tens of thousands of pocketConstitutions were sold, and tens ofthousands more were distributedfree to visitors to the NationalArchives during the 87-Hour Vigil.The Archives booklet is a con-venient and accurate transcriptionof the document that met the

71.

immediate needs of the celebrationand will continue to meet citizens'needs for years to come.

The Constitution was reproducedin printed form in larger formats aswell Because of renewed interestin the document, the NationalArchives re-issued three of itsbooklets that provide backgroundon and facsimiles of the Consti-tution and the Bill of Rights.

A More Pen feet Union. TheCreation of the U.S. Constitutionchronicles the procedures of the1787 convention in Philadelphiaand reproduces the entire text ofthe document in facsimile andprinted transcription. The Bill ofRights follows the process ofamending the new Constitution.

69

Reproductions of documents in theNational Archives show the steps bywhich the amendments advancedfrom James Madison's proposalsthrough the various drafts untilten were finally ratified by thestates. Both A More Perfect Unionand The Bill of Rights are part of aseries of booklets called "MilestoneDocuments in the NationalArchives':

Both of these documents, alongwith the Declaration of Indepen-dence, are printed in facsimile inCharters of Freedom: The Declarationof Independence, Th, Constitution,The Bill of Rights. This bookletprovides brief historical notes in ashorter format than the MilestoneDocuments.

70

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The National Archives alsoprinted full-sized reproductions ofthe Constitution, the Bill of Rights,and the Declaration of Indepen-dence. These posters underwent ameticulous production process toensure their faithfulness to theoriginals. In this past anniversaryyear, the posters were in greatdemand for schoolrooms, exhibits,and other Constitution-relatedevents.

72

The successful teaching unit, TheConstitution: The Evolution ofGovernment, was published by theNational Archives.

Other posters were published tohelp organizations celebrate theConstitution. "Tis Done! We HaveBecome a Nation" is a twenty-posterexhibit featuring documents thatchronicle the conception, creation,and implementation of the U.S.Constitution. Nineteen documentsare reproduced, including theDeclaration of Independence, theVirginia Plan, George Washington'sannotated draft of the Constitution,and a Senate draft of the Bill ofRights. An introductory poster setsthe scene with information on lateeighteenth-century America.Because of the availability of thisposter set, schools, governmentagencies, and private organizationswere able to stage their own docu-

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ment exhibits to draw publicattention to the history of ourgovernment.

In 1985, 1986, and 1987 theNational Archives quarterly journal,Prologue, featured articles on theConstitution in its fall issues. ChiefJustice Warren E. Burger andAssociate Justice Harry A.Blackmun joined noted constitu-tional scholars in commenting onthe origins of the Constitution, themany changes and interpretations ithas been subjected to, and its

T1 IE DECLIMI1710 \ OF INDEMMENCE

relevance to contemporary society.Subjects of the articles ranged fromreflections on the importance ofcelebration to documentary editingprojects on the early days of ourgovernment to examinations ofthe rights confirmed by theConstitution.

"We the People" was a themethat recurred throughout theobservance of the bicentennial.These three famous words from thePreamble appeared v hereNer peoplecelebrated the anniNersary: TheNational Archives produced severalitems that incorporated this phraseas well as other souvenirs thatsupplemented the Archives printedpublications.

These days almost every event is

73

The Declaration, the Constitution, andthe Bill of Rights posters found theirway into countless classrooms andexhibits across the country.

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commemorated with a T-shirt. Thebicentennial of the Constitutionwas no exception. By far the mostpopular item in the Museum Shopduring the 87-Hour Vigil was thebright -We the People" T-shirt. Thesame design was also emblazonedacross the front of a sweatshirt.

Another item of apparel was aspecially designed scarf thatincorporated the signatures thatappear on the Constitution. Totebags were also popula; as werecoffee mugs that reproduced U.S.

71

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presidents' signatures or weredecorated with a large, colorful "Wethe People" design.

In cooperation with the U.S.Army Field Band, the NationalArchives is the exclusive sales outletfor the band's audiocassette We thePeople. To the Bicentennial of theUnited States Constitution. Thisrecording of patriotic musicincludes works from the revolu-tionary and early federal periodthrough the twentieth century,featuring works by Irving Berlin,George M. Cohan, and John PhilipSousa.

The importance of the Constitu-tion did not end on September 18,1987 As the foundation of our ownnational government and the model

72

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for other constitutiors worldwide,this great document is rightlyrevered. But behind all the fanfare,the United States Constitutionremains a working, living frame-work. Through its publicationsprogram, the National Archivescontributed to the ongoing debateand discussion of this charter.While memories of the festivitiesmay fade, the books, articles, andposters will survive as permanentlegacies of the celebration. Thereaso- for the ceehration itself wasa doc....ment, and as the NationalArchives' motto states, Litterascripta mallet, the written wordendures.

74

Above: These Archives publicationsfocused on the people grid events ofthe Constitutional Convention.

Below: The Constitution Study Groupcollected several of its bicentenniallectures into these two volumes.

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Left: An assortment of souvenir itemsas well as printed publications wereproduced to mark the bicentennial.

Below: For the last three years,Prologue has devoted its Fall issue tothe Constitution.

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73

75

74

Ralph S. Pollock

SharingConstitutional

All hoopla and no substance? That question was confronted

by a small group of National Archives docents several years

before the bicentennial of the Constitution got under way.

Remembering the dubious and unsatisfying observances of the

bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence in the

previous decade, we believed that the Constitution of the

United States deserved bettei and we began considering ways

in which we might express our crnviction.

In 1982 this small group of trained docents, all members of

the National Archives Volunteers Association, decided to form

a "study group' to research various aspects of United States

constitutional history and to prepare papers for group

discussion. At this stage, the purpose of the group was simply

to better equip ourselves to lead discussions and conduct

informed tours as the National Archives mounted its exhibits

and other programs relating to the bicentennial. Before long,

we began to get requests to admit the public to these

meetings, to hear the papers, and join in the discussions.

Given the group's purpose to promote a better

understanding of the American constitutional system our

answer was enthusiastically affirmative, and the National

Archives Volunteers Constitution Study Group was born.

The first public lecture, free and open to the public, as all of

76

the group's programs have been,was presented in the NationalArchives Building in Washington,D.C., on January 19, 1983, by Dr.Charlene Bickford, coeditor of theFirst Federal Congress Project andthen president of the Association forDocumentary Editing. Dr. Bickfordspoke about the creative work ofthe First Federal Congress in"launching the ship of state"creating the first executivedepartments, establishing ajudiciary, and overcoming what wasundoubtedly the convention's mostserious omission, amending the newConstitution to include a Bill ofRights. The reception accorded herpresentation left no doubt that theConstitution .iitudy Group had hitupon a good idea, although we didnot then anticipate that by the timeof the bicentennial of the signing inPhiladelphia we would havepresented over fifty publicprograms, all relating to theConstitution.

We also did not then foresee that,as the program continued to attractprominent scholars and othernationally known speakers, ourinfluence would spread well beyondthe confines of the NationalArchives Building. This unexpectedattention reflected a broad andserious interest in the Constitution.

One of the Constitution StudyGroup's first related undertakingswas to publish a transcription ofthe Constitution and, to the extentpermitted by our limited financialresources, to make it available tointerested individuals and groups onrequest. Within the next severalyears, and with the generous help ofworthy benefactors, two volumes ofcollected lectures were publishedand made available to the public at

David Burnham spoke on privacyin the computer state.

77

minimum cost) It was not longbefore the group's programs werebeing noted nationally; not onlythrough our publications but alsoby means of radio and C-Spantelevision broadcasts of many ofthe lectures. Not only was theConstitution Study Group "playingin Peoria" whose public libraryrequested and received some of ourpublications but also in Beijing,where several seminars held thereon the United States Constitutionmade use of our Constitutionbooklet. It was also reliably reportedthat one of the books (Renewing theDream) was spotted at a book fair inCalcutta, India.

By 1983, after demonstrating ourability to develop and present top-quality programs, the ConstitutionStudy Group received its first grant

from the District of ColumbiaCommunity Humanities Council,an affiliate of the NationalEndowment for the Humanities.This grant enabled us to proceedwith programming on a longer-termbasis, to afford additionalrecognition to speakers in the formof modest honoraria, and to providenecessary travel funds.' it alsopermitted us to plan a variety oflectures and include topics notusually covered in similar programs.

There were and would continueto be programs commemoratingsignificant milestones in thehistorical development of theAmerican constitutional system,beginning with a program onSeptember 21, 1983, on the Treatyof Paris, featuring Professor JohnMajor from the University ofHull. Aside from being the firstessentially historical presentation,commemorating the event thatafforded formal recognition of ourcountry as an independent nation-state, this program was of particularinterest because Professor Majorhad come to us from Hull, England,which was the constituency theBritish signer of the Treaty of Paris,David Hartley, represented in theHouse of Commons.'

75

But other programming criterialaid equal claim to the efforts andavailable programming time of theConstitution Study Group. Therewere, of course, topics having to dowith the basic organization as wellas the fundamental processes ofthe federal government. JamesSundquist and former CongressmanHenry Reuss, both then associatedwith the privately organizedCommittee on the ConstitutionalSystem,4 spoke on separateoccasions on matters dealing withthe organization and functioning ofour governmental structure. Mr.

Sundquist spoke on the question ofwhether the structure was good foranother century; and Mr. Reuss onwhether it was a good idea to haveanother constitutional convention.(The answers were, respectively."probably not without some fine-tuning" and "no, but there is analternative:')

Who shall guard the guardians? TheConstitution provides an answer to thatthe three branches, the checks andbalances on power will do that. ThisConstitution has not checked ouridealism, but thus far it has preserved usfrom the excesses of our own enthusiasms.Thus far it has preserved the Union fromthe divisiveness that almost invariablyaccompanies the attempt to realize ourideals.

Frances Fitzgerald

There were also programs thatrepresented a combination of thehistorical and the functional. Inearly 1984 our programming pickedup where Dr. Bickford had left off inJanuary 1983 when she spoke ofthe accomplishments of the FirstFederal Congress. In March of the

Robert Rutland discussed theratification of the Constitution.

78

latter year Dr. Maeva Marcus,director of the Supreme CourtPapers Project, spoke about the firstten years of the Court, a periodabout which not very much hadbeen known, with many Americansunderstandably thinking that theSupreme Court had actually begunwith the great John Marshall. OnApril 18 of the same yeai thespeaker Dr. Gordon Hoxie, verygraciously (but undeservedly) gavethe program planners credit forselecting the date of the Battle ofLexington for his presentation. Dr.Hoxie, president of the Center forthe Study of the Presidency, whohad formerly served in the WhiteHouse during the Eisenhoweradministration, spoke on theConstitution and the presidency,with particular emphasis on thefirst administration of GeorgeWashington, a time when manyprecedents were set.

Topics relating to individualrights and constitutional valueswere given special emphasis by theConstitution Study Group. Bill ofRights Day (December 15) wasobserved each year with a lectureappropriate to the occasion,beginning i.n December 1983 withFederal Judge Meyer Rosennspeaking on "Rights in the BasicConstitution:' Others who spoke onindividual rights and libertiesincluded David Burnham who, inDecember 1986, spoke on theimpact of technology on the rightto privacy, and Professor BurtNeuborne of the New YorkUniversity Law School, who spokein December 1987 on "IndividualRights in the Next Century"

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Certain other topics in thegeneral category of individual rightswere given special emphasis by

repetition. For example, religiousliberty was the subject of talks givenby Edd Doerr, executive director ofAmericans for Religious Liberty(December 1984), Professor A. E.Dick Howard (December 1985),and Associate Justice Harry A.Blackmun (June 1987). Consideringthe importance of religious libertyand church-state separation inAmerican history, and the fact thatthis principle represents America'sunique contribution to humanfreedom worldwide, theConstitution Study Groupconsidered this emphasis essentialto a proper understanding of ourbasic constitutional system.5

Another major category reflectedin our varied programmingincluded subjects of topical interest,

. . . the lision of ithat is a right is notfixed in time. . . . We sit here in 1987with an extraordinary constitutionaldocument that is the envy of the freeworld, having achieved an extraordinaryset of protections for political values thatpermit our sonery to operate as an openand democratic society in ways that nocount?), has ever dreamed of doing . . .

Burt Neuborne

many of them problems or concernsof a continuing if not a permanentcharacter. On July 15, 1987, RichardBarnet of the Institute for PolicyStudies dealt forthrightly with thedifficult matter of national securityin the nuclear age. Earlier; onNovember 15, 1984, the HonorableMichael D. Barnes, then represent-ing the Eighth CongressionalDistrict of Maryland in the House ofRepresentatives, and at that timea membc.- of the House Committeeon Foreign Affairs, spokecourageously on the role of theCongress in the making of foreignpolicy, and specifically on theintractable matter of war powers, aproblem still waiting to be resolved.An equally and perhaps moredifficult matter was taken up byWilliam E. Colby, a former director

Professor Forieit McDonaldlectured on Shays Rebellion.

Edward Papenfuse lectured onthe Annapolis Conirention.

Judith Krug spoke on librariesand free speech.

79

of Central Intelligence, who spokeon May 15, 1985, about theConstitution and the CIA, grapplingwith the problem of conformingsecret governmental activities withaccountable constitutionalgovernment.

Accountability is the quintessentialdemocratic value on which theConstitution is based. In recent years theAmerican government has literally split intwo. In foreign affairs it acts as a secretive,fitfully accountable state run by arelatively small national security elite,while in domestic affairs it functionsreasonably tvt.I1 as a deniudatk. rcpublk.

Richard Barnet

Other topical subjects dealt within the course of Constitution StudyGroup programming included: theimpact of science and technology onthe constitutional system (WilliamCarey), the influence of the mediaon the electoral process (DeanSanford Ungar and MartinSchramm), problems of the cities(Mayor George Voinovich ofCleveland), the importance of a freeyet responsible press (Daniel Schorrand Floyd Abrams), censorship andthe information problem generally(Judith Krug of the AmericanLibrary Association), and thecontinuing problems of equalprotection for women andminorities (Dorothy Ridings,Virginia Purdy, and Father RobertDrinan). Time constraints alone, nota shortage of topics or concernshaving constitutional implications,limited the number of lecturespresented under this heading.

For over five years the NationalArchives Constitution Study Grouppresented rich fare indeed, alloffered in a dignified mannerappropriate to the occasion. Takenin their entirety, the lecturesconstituted a source of historicaland factual information along w ithinformed commentaries relevantto the Constitution on its twohundredth anniversary. Although by

77

4

1

Columnist Edward Yoder was apopular speaker.

general consensus this has been aperiod of rampant political ideology,the lectures were surprisingly free ofideology and reflected balance andfairness. The speakers deserve greatcredit for the dispassionate andmeaningful way they dealt withtheir assigned topics.

Much credit also goes to thosewho attended these programs;cumulatively, thousands came tolearn and to understand. TheConstitution Study Group takespride in the fact that theseprograms were always free andopen to all. We never charged anadmission free nor otherwiserestricted attendance. Somemembers of the audience were fairlyregular attendees while others wereattracted by certain topics orspeakers. But all were keenlyinterested and well informed, as

78

they demonstrated in the rathersophisticated questions put to thespeakers or in their comments onthe various points. Further theselectures were public forums thatprovided opportunities forordinary citizens as well as tharepresenting civic and bicentennialorganizations to meet prominentscholars, officials, and the like andexchange information and viewswith each other. The specialdisplays of origini documentsprovided by the professional staff ofthe National Archives from theirvast holdings were another featurethat further enriched theseprograms and promoted discussion.

W. still have a long way to go in manyareas to ensure equal protection of thelaws to all Americans. Kt it is quiteremarkable when we look back over thepast generation to see what the Loutshave done to elaborate on the baskconcept enunciated in the FourteenthAmendment. . . . The second generation

offoundingfathers had great foresight toadopt that term.

Robert Drinan, S.J.

80

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Gather R^h.rt nrinan sp,:-...ko on cqtn.1protection under the law.

In no nation in the world is there as muchgenuine religious liberty as there is inours. For this blessing, we may thank abenevolent Providence. In more temporalterms, we may also thank, in good part,the genius of the framers. Among thosewe should acknowledge, in particular,larelJames Madison, who gave us theMemorial and Remonstrance and whosaw the First Amendment throughCongress, and Thomas Jefferson, who gave

us the Virginia Statute for ReligiousFreedom.

A.E. Dick Howard

The following speakers participated in the Constitutional Lecture Series.

Floyd Abrams Shaw Livermore, Jr.Michael D. Barnes Maeva MarcusRichard J. Barnet Forrest McDonaldHerman Belz Abner J. MikvaCharlene Bickford Richard B. MorrisHarry A. Blackmun Betty Southard MurphyAlbert Blaustein Robert R. NathanKenneth Bowling Burt NeuborneDavid J. Branson Norman J. OrnsteinWarren E. Burger Jean OttoDavid B. Burnham Edward C. PapenfuseJames MacGregor Burns Robert S. PeckWilliam D. Carey J. G.A. PocockWilliam E. Colby Virginia PurdyMarcus Cunliffe Harold C. RelyeaLloyd Cutler Henry ReussEdd Doerr Dorothy S. RidingsRobert F. Drinan, S.J. Richard L. RoeThomas M. Durbin Meyer RosenFrances FitzGerald Robert A. RutlandAlan Geyer Stephen H. SachsJoseph B. Gorman* Daniel SchorrA. E. Dick Howard Martin I SchramR. Gordon Hoxie Herman SchwartzJames C. Hutson James SundquistJohn P Kaminski Dwight L. Teeter, Jr.Phyllis Kaminsky Kenneth W ThompsonMichael Kammen Sanford J. UngarStanley N. Katz George V VoinovichJudith F. Krug Edwin M. Yoder, Jr.Rex Lee James W. Zirkle

'DeceasedNOTE. The above list does not include the names of fifteen symposium panelist.;.

The Constitution Study Group isparticularly proud of the spaialprograms it was able to offer; notonly because they were done withrelatively limited resources, but alsobecause of the excellent resultsachieved. With the assistance of theAmerican Newspaper PublishersAssociation Foundation, acolloquium on the FirstAmendment press clause wasoffered at the National Archiveson November 6, 1985. Somecharacterized it as the bestdiscussion program they had ever

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A well attended lecture sponsored bythe Constitution Study Group.

81,

heard on this important subject.Following an Inspiring keynoteaddress by well-known journalistand commentator Daniel Schorr; adistinguished panel of four expertson First Amendment matters, withU.S. Bicentennial Commissionmember Betty Southard Murphy asmoderato presented a mostinsightful analysis of such pressingcontemporary free press issues aslibel, privacy, access to officialinformation, and press respon-sibility Panelists includedWashington attorney David Branson(libel); Professor Dwight Teeterfrom the journalism department ofthe University of Texas at Austin(privacy); CIA Assistant GeneralCounsel James Zirkle (access toofficial information); and JeanOtto, then chairman of the FirstAmendment Congress and editorialpage editor of the Rocky MountainNews (press responsibility). It wasone of the "finest hours" ofgovernment-press collaboration.Jefferson and Madison would havebeen delighted had they been there.

Unquestionably the ConstitutionStudy Group's iii061 ambitiousundertaking in its five-year historywas an all-day symposium held onMarch 14, 1985. With the theme"Preparing for the Celebration ofthe bicentenniar° the symposiumwas the first major program onwhat was then a pressing subject. Iteven antedated the creation of theU.S. Bicentennial Commission.Financial support from theMaryland Humanities Council andthe Virginia Foundation for theHumanities augmented thatprovided by the D.C. CommunityHumanities Council. With theassistance of the American BarAssociation's Commission on PublicUnderstanding About the Law, theConstitution Study Group was ableto present nationally knownscholars along with outstandingindix 'duals involved in bicentennialprogram planning to hear addressesand participate in discussionpanels.

79

The symposium was organizedaround three sessions. A morningsession (held in the Great Hall ofthe Department of Justice) featuredProfessor James MacGregor Burnsas keynote speaker and includedProfessor Michael Kammen andProfessor A. E. Dick Howard. In theafternoon, symposium participantsgathered in the National ArchivesBuilding to hear panel discussionson national programs, mediaprograms, special communityprograms, and youth and studentprograms. These sessions providedexcellent opportunities for theexchange of ideas among thoseinvolved in planning bicentennialactivities.

An evening program in theNational Archives Rotunda beganwith the Color Guard and musicalunits from the Old Guard Regimentstationed at Fort Myei; Virginia.Speakers for this ceremonial sessionincluded then Chief Justice WarrenBurger, A. E. Dick Howard, andothers. Both substantively andsy mbolically, the .iymposium servedto stimulate planning for thebicentennial celebrations.

By .S.pcLinbu 1987, ilk munch ofthe bicentennial of the signing inPhiladelphia, the question mightappropriately have been asked

80

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For some time, some people . . haveargued that, in certain areas of law, thepress should be afforded special FirstAmendment protection. It has not, Ihasten to say, been an overwhelminglypersuasive argument in the courts. Butnow the focus is changing. The press needsthe same protection as cvciyonc else. Andevegone else needs more protection thanthey have today.

Floyd Abrams

Floyd Abrams focused on the issue offreedom of speech.

82

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. . I am not sure there is . . . such athing as a "right to know," but there isa need to know. An informed public isabsolutely ik_essary in a democracy. . . .

Daniel Schorr

Daniel Schorr gave the keynoteaddress on the First Amendment.

83

whether the Constitution StudyGroup had achieved its purpose.The answer would of course dependon how its purpose was defined.On the basis of its original purpose,much more had been accomplishedthan was originally planned oreven hoped. Howevei in terms ofthe possibilities that opened up asthe program evolved, while muchwas accomplished, there wereimportant subject areas either leftout or not adequately attended tothat surely warranted coverage inrelation to the health and well-beingof the constitutional system.

Although the Constitution StudyGroup succeeded in offering over afive- r period many of the historyand t_wics" lessons that WarrenBurgei as chairman of the U.S.Bicentennial Commissionrepeatedly advocated, there weredisappointments and omissions inthe programming. Despite repeatedefforts to schedule a prominent andwell-qualified speakei one of themore serious omissions involved thesubject of education, and morespecifically the importance of thepublic school system to thesustaining of our democraticinstitutions. As statistics on schooldrop -cuts and rising illiteracycontinued to be reported, one

81

could only wonder how longconstitutional democracy couldsurvive under such conditions. Onealso wondered if the policy makersand professional educators hadforgotten the historic connectionbetween democratic institutionsand an educated citizenry.

One also could wonder if ourprogramming had dealt adequatelywith the vital problem of war andpeace in its constitutional context.Although Richard Barnet andCongressman Michael Barnes hadcourageously (almost heroically)addressed the related constitutionalissues, particularly issues relating tothe War Powers Act, these issuesstemed more intractable at the endof our five-year programmingperiod than they had been at thebeginning. This and the continuingproblems of accountability on thepart of public officials, and thepressing problem of the relation ofthe United States Constitution to arational world order; left manyimportant matters of constitutionalbusiness unfinished as the bicen-t--nnial period came to a close.

But programming disappoint-ments were to some extent offsetby unexpected developmentsthat added interest as well assubstance to the series. Howeverone may view such mattersfrom a political standpoint, thecongressional hearings on both theIran-Contra Affair, as it came to becalled, and on the nomination ofJudge Robert Bork to be associatejustice of the Supreme Court, servedto stimulate interest in the workingsof the constitutional system. Thiswas especially true in the areas ofaccountability and indiviuual rights,the topics with which we concludedour Bicentennial '87 Lecture Series.Unusual if not unprecedentedpublic statements on constitutionalmatters by several of the sittingjustices of the Supreme Court alsoattracted public attention andgerrral discussion as well. And the"original intention" thesis ofAttorney General Meese provoked

82

useful debates that not even hecould have anticipated.

All of these developments servedto give substance and meaning tothe celebration of the bicentennialof the Constitution, which we hoperesulted in a deeper appreciation ofthe nation's fundamental charter bythe citizens of this country. As forthe National Archives ConstitutionGroup, we did our best and itwould be nice to think that theFounding Fathers would haveapproved.

NOTES'Many of the lectures are now available in

book form. Our published books are: Renewingthe Dream: National Archives Bicentennial '87Lectures on Contempormy Constitutional Issues,ed. Ralph S. Pollock (1986) and The Blessing ofLiberty: Bicentennial Lectures at the NationalArchives. ed. Robert S. Peck and Ralph S.Pollock (1980. Most of the March 1985symposium presentations were published inthe Fall 1985 issue of Prologue.

21n the course of its programming, theConstitution Study Group received financialassistance from a number of otherbenefactors: the American Bar Association,the American Newspaper PublishersAssociation Foundation, the League of WomenVoters, the Maryland Humanities Council, andthe Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

addition to the Treaty of Paris, otherhistorical events commemorated by specialprograms were. the Mt. Vernon Meeting; theAnnapolis Convention, Shays's Rebellion, theadoption of the Northwest Ordinance; the200th anniversary of the adoption of theVirginia Statute for Religious Freedom, the150th anniversary of the seditious libel trial ofJohn Peter Zenger; the ratification of theConstitution; the adoption of the Bill ofRights, and special programs on the FirstFederal Congress, the first presidency, and thefirst Supreme Court.

;The Committee on the ConstitutionalSystem is a private group formed in 1982 "toexamine the political system and search forways to improve its performance:' It iscomposed of present and former publicofficials, party officials, lawyers, scholars,journalists, business leaders, and otherinterested citizens. (See Donald L. Robinson,ed., Reforming American Government, (1985)).

'For Associate Justice Blackmun's statementon the Religion Clauses, see the Fall 1987issue of Prologue.

6 f he Fall 1985 issue of Prologue containssymposium statements by keynoter JamesMacGregor Burns, A. E. Dick Howard, ChiefJustice Warren Burger, and others.

84

The National Archives IA ishes to acknowl-edge the follum, ing tndty iduals and organi-zations for their generous support of andassistance to the National Archives in thecelebration of the bicentennial of theUnited States Constitution:

Apple Computer, Inc.Lt. Gen. Robert Arter, USA (Ret.)Boy Scouts of AmericaTed BuisCol. William E. ClarkLt. Col. C. P.ErwinJames L FergusonGeneral Foods CorporationGirl Scouts of AmericaJulianne GraceJudge Harold H. GreeneThomas GroppelDonald C. HaasHewlett-PackardPhyllis A. HowardImmigration and Naturalization ServiceJoint Military Services Honor GuardHonorable Barbara JordanLarry KingRoberta KniffinLibrary of Congress PoliceDonald LintonHonorable John 0. Marsh, Jr.M. Sgt. William L. Martin, Jr.Military District of Was!,'ngtonNat.onal Archives Volunteer AssociationNiti,nal Gallery of Art Security ForceT. Bland NorrisHarry PadisPerkin-Elmer Corpo-ationPat PiperDonya PlatoffPotomac Harmony ChorusJustice Lewis F Powell, Jr (Ret,Prince Georges County PoliceLarry R. tzmannScholastic, Inc.Singing Capital ChorusSmithsonian Institution Protection

DivisionSenator John C StennisUnited States Army Field Band and

Soldiers' ChorusU.S. Army 3d Infantry (Old Guard Fife

and Drum Corps)U.S. Army 3d Infantry Continental

Color GuardU.S. Capitol PoliceU.S. District Court for the District of

ColumbiaUnited States Marine BandU.S. Park PoliceVienna-Falls ChorusRobert A WaitJ. Max WatsonVirginia Woo

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