Earlier this week, we discovered that the New York Public Library (the big one that doesn't let you leave with books) planned to display an original copy of The Declaration of Independence written in Thomas Jefferson's handwriting, and one of the original 14 copies of the Bill of Rights requested by George Washington. Tuesday evening, Brian and I were able to view these historical documents. This was especially exciting after our trip to Philadelphia, where we visited Independence Hall, and stood where these documents were debated, and voted on, and approved.
I met Brian at the New York Public Library on the corner of West 42nd St and Fifth Avenue. The underground subway platforms get SO hot in the summer, so much so that I was glad for the warm breeze up on the sidewalk. Brian was waiting for me on the steps.
I love the lions outside the building. They actually have names. I believe the one in the picture below is Patience and the other one is Fortitude. According to the Library's website:
Their nicknames have changed over the decades. First they were called Leo Astor and Leo Lenox, after The New York Public Library founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox. Later, they were known as Lady Astor and Lord Lenox (even though they are both male lions). During the 1930s, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia named them Patience and Fortitude, for the qualities he felt New Yorkers would need to survive the economic depression. These names have stood the test of time: Patience still guards the south side of the Library's steps and Fortitude sits unwaveringly to the north.
The library's building is so gorgeous. It's called the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building and it was dedicated on May 23, 1911. That makes it over 100 years old!
I love all of the detail work in the stone.
The documents were on display in the Wachenheim Trustees Room on the second floor. We walked up the two short flights of stone steps to find a hallway full of people. The end of the line was at the end of the hallway, and it was a long hallway. .
After making our way down the main hallway and a shorter side hallway, we were allowed to enter the room. It was crowded with people and quite chaotic. The documents were in individual display cases spaced randomly in the room and there were no organized lines. The guards kept repeating that there were no lines and that we could just walk up to the case and look. It took some finagling to do so because everyone was trying to see the same thing at once. There were probably 100 people in the room at one time. It would have been a lot better if they had organized lines.
We walked over to the display case that held the Bill of Rights first. The piece of parchment it is written on is fairly large, 31 inches long by 27 inches wide. The iron gall ink is very faded and we had to get very close to make out any words. It was so cool though. We could read the heading that said "Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine." There were two short paragraphs after the heading and then the list of Amendments, or as they were labeled on the paper, Articles. Running down the left side of the page were the labels "Article the first, Article the second, etc." This copy contains the first ten amendments plus two additional amendments that were never ratified. It was very cool. The only name that I could make out on the bottom was John Adams. I don't know if it was his signature or just written out by the scribe. Like I mentioned before, this was one of 14 original copies. One of these copies of the Bill of Rights was to stay with the Federal Government, while the remaining 13 were dispersed to the individual colonies/states.
We weren't allowed to take photos, but I found some online so that you can see what they looked like. The Bill of Rights was in this white frame in a large glass case.
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Next, we worked our way over to the Declaration of Independence. This was even more amazing. It gave me chills. The document consists of two pages, both sides of each covered in Thomas Jefferson's writing. The words are written on handmade laid paper with iron gall ink. Each page measures 12 5/8 inch long by 7 7/8 inches wide.
We learned from one of the display signs:
We learned from one of the display signs:
Thomas Jefferson forwarded his finished draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress on July 1, 1776, but before it was ratified on July 4 a number of deletions, additions, and changes were made to the text; the most significant was the removal of Jefferson's lengthy condemnation of slavery, an excision intended primarily to appease the delegates from Georgia and South Carolina. Jefferson was distressed by these alterations, and in the days immediately following July 4 he made several copies of the text that had been submitted to the Continental Congress, underlining the passages to which changes had been made. He then sent these fair copies to five or six friends. Only two of these manuscripts survive intact, and The New York Public Library is honored to safeguard one of them.
This is what the front side of the first page looked like.
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Below is a portion of the actual words from his handwritten text. I honestly don't know how to describe how I felt as I read the words :
"A declaration by the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA in General Congress Assembled.
When in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature & of nature's god entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent & inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, & the pursuit of happiness...
...We therefore the Representatives of the United states of America, in General Congress Assembled, do, in the name & by authority of the good people of these states, reject and renounce all allegiance & subjection to the kings of Great Britain, and all others who may hereafter claim by, through, or under them; we utterly dissolve all political connectio which may heretofore have subsisted between us & the parliament or people of Great Britain; and finally we do assert these colonies to be free & independent states, and that as free & independant states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, & to do all other acts and things which independant states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes & our sacred honor."
Amazing, awestruck, grateful, inspired, stirring are some of the words that come to mind. The very last sentence really gets to me. Even though the words where familiar to us, to see the actual words written out and to know that they were written by Thomas Jefferson was very cool. What inspired words! Reading through this again definitely strengthens my testimony that the forefathers were led by God.
Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote this first draft of the Declaration. If you want to know about the history of the Declaration of Independence visit this link:
We left the building somewhat in awe and very excited by what we had just seen. I snapped a picture of the view from the top steps of the library. This street is very characteristic of Manhattan streets, they are very narrow and overshadowed by buildings.
With this week's holiday it was extra special to see these historic documents and gain a better appreciation for the men who founded this great nation. We're grateful to live here, and to still enjoy the freedoms that they worked so hard to establish. Happy Independence Day!
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