Week 3, part seven, National Archives

National Archives

On the weekend I was able to see the National Archives, with the U.S Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they had a 1297 copy of the Magna Carta! Rooted in Anglo-Saxon law and written in Latin (though not the samw Latin studied today) Magna Carta means "Great Charter", for anyone (including David Cameron) who didn't know! It was originally signed in 1215 by King John, at Runnymede. It was designed to try and appease the King's Barons, and promises fairer rights for widows, inheritance, and most importantly, ensures trial by jury and justice regardless of status. This was the foundation for much of the later U.S documents, yet (after waiting by the deserted Magna Carta display for half an hour) I discovered something else of note; 75% of Americans had no idea what it was. Alternatively, I can't prove that more than 25% of British people would know what the Magna Carta is...

Best comment - "Ooh the Magna Carta, isn't that one of the amendments to the Constitution?"

I mean, it's not like British people know what the Declaration of Independence is, or the Constitution? Oh wait, we do. To be fair, there was one American father who insisted that his children saw the Magna Carta and read that display before getting in line to see the three U.S documents (the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights). The U.S documents were kept in a shrine-like area, surrounded by guards, marble and paintings. There was a strange, almost religious reverence surrounding these documents. The Magna Carta, by contrast, is in a side-area with no queues (not that Americans know what that means!) but has a great exhibition around it!

Interesting things;

1. Regarding the U.S Constitution - Benjamin Franklin has neater handwriting than George Washington. I couldn't make out much of the document, only the signatures and the capitalised words FREE and INDEPENDENT. Maybe they're all that's important.
2. The American founding fathers wrote in a handwriting known as "English roundhand" - ironic!

The Archives also have collections of Presidential correspondence, recordings and photos of the U.S Presidents when they were children! I think too many people, including Americans, overlook the Archives as a worthwhile attraction. It has rotating modern exhibits, including 1970s American photography, and if you're a U.S citizen you can look up your family history using their records. This is what my Indian American (known in Britain as "Native American") friend intends to do, to look into her tribe's past.

I left a message in the guestbook, saying that the Archives would always hold special interest for British as well as American visitors, and thanking them for doing such a good job on the Magna Carta display.

“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
― George Orwell, 1984