National Archives and Records Administration

The National Archives Building was established in 1934 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to centralize the preservation of federal records. Designed by architect John Russell Pope in the Neoclassical style, the building was intended to serve as a 'temple of history' where the nation's most precious documents could be safely stored and displayed. Prior to its construction, important federal documents were scattered across various government buildings, often in poor storage conditions that threatened their survival. In 1952, the Charters of Freedom—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—were formally transferred from the Library of Congress to the National Archives in a grand ceremony. These documents are now housed in the Rotunda, protected by a state-of-the-art security system that includes a massive underground vault designed to withstand a nuclear blast. This move solidified the Archives' role as the ultimate guardian of the American democratic experiment. Today, the Archives holds billions of items, including the Louisiana Purchase Treaty, military records, and even the original patent for Thomas Edison’s lightbulb. The facility underwent a massive renovation in the early 2000s to improve visitor accessibility and preservation technology. It remains a vital resource for historians, genealogists, and citizens seeking to hold their government accountable through its own records.