Even the most important document in the United States has mistakes! This is the “errata” note on the fourth page of the Constitution.
Jacob Shallus inserted this after he was done “engrossing” the final document. He was under a tight deadline:
Arthur Plotnik estimates that Shallus had about 40 hours between receiving the drafts and handing back the engrossed parchment, but that after accounting for eating and sleeping, the number of working hours was more likely 35. Plotnik estimates the “slowest possible pace” to be about 160 words an hour. Shallus had to write over 4,000 words.The Constitution is on permanent display in the National Archives building in Washington, DC. The “fifth page” of the Constitution, also engrossed by Jacob Shallus will be on display from September 14 to 19 in honor of the 225th anniversary of the Constitution.
Surveying the West
Observed by curious onlookers, several boats of the Wheeler Expedition leave Camp Mojave in the Arizona Territory on September 15, 1871. Between 1871 and 1879 Lieutenant George Wheeler and his team extensively explored and surveyed land west of the 100th meridian.
Photograph of Wheeler Expedition as It Departs Camp Mojave, Arizona Territory, 09/15/1871
via DocsTeach
On June 8, 1789, Representative James Madison of Virginia introduced a series of proposed amendments to the newly ratified U.S. Constitution. That summer the House of Representatives debated the issue and on August 24 passed seventeen proposed constitutional amendments. The Senate then took up the matter — they altered and consolidated the House amendments into 12. This printed document reflects the Senate’s changes as passed on September 14, 1789. The line-outs on the first, third and eighth articles indicate wording that had been amended in conference committee on September 24, 1789. Twelve articles of amendment were then sent to the states — articles three through twelve were ratified and became the Bill of Rights in 1791.
Proposed Amendments to the Constitution as passed by the Senate, 9/14/1789, Records of the U.S. Senate (ARC 2173242)
On September 14, 1950 President Harry Truman signed the act which combined the Grand Teton National Park and a portion of the land within the Jackson Hole Monument into the present day expanded Grand Teton National Park.
“The Tetons - Snake River,” Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming., 1933 - 1942, from the series Ansel Adams Photographs of National Parks and Monuments, 1941 - 1942
Act of September 14, 1950, Public Law 81-787, 64 STAT 849, which established the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming., 09/14/1950
Battle of South Mountain and Lee’s “Special Order 191”
During Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of western Maryland in 1862, a copy of his “Special Order 191” describing his planned troop movements fell into Union General George B. McClellan’s hands. Attempting to capitalize on the intelligence, McClellan attacked Lee’s divided armies on September 14, 1862. Union forces were victorious however delays by the cautious McClellan enabled Lee to escape and regroup.
Battle Fields of South Mountains showing the Positions of the Forces of Major Genls. Burnside and Franklin and of the Enemy during the Battle fought by the Army of the Potomac under the Command of Major Genl. G. B. McClellan 14th Sept. 1862. Bureau of Topogl. Engineers.
Telegram from Major General George McClellan to General Major Henry W. Halleck Regarding General Robert E. Lee’s Special Order No. 191, the Lost Order, 09/13/1862
Help Transcribe Records Related to the Katyn Forest Massacre
Twenty records related to the Katyn Forest Massacre are now available on the National Archives’ Transcription Pilot Project. You can help transcribe telegrams, messages, letters, and reports.
Learn more about records relating to the Katyn Forest Massacre at the National Archives.
Katyn Forest Massacre Records Declassified
The National Archives’ National Declassification Center (NDC) has recently released over 1,000 previously classified pages of documents pertaining to the Katyn Forest Massacre — a controversial mass execution of Polish officers & intelligentsia by the Soviet Secret Police (NKVD) during the early stages of World War II.
In response to requests to release all records in US Government custody relating to the events at Katyn, the National Archives via the National Declassification Center subsequently made it a priority to process, declassify and highlight all known Katyn Forest Massacre materials and documents.
The “fifth page” of the Constitution has never been on display before at the National Archives.
This year, for the first time, visitors will be able to see what is sometimes referred to as the “fifth page” of the Constitution—the Resolutions of Transmittal to the Continental Congress. A special display for the 225th anniversary of the Constitution in September, will feature this document. “It’s up there with the Constitution in terms of value,” says curator Alice Kamps.
The Constitution Resolution spells out how the new Constitution would be adopted by the United States and how the new government would be put into effect.
Don’t miss your chance to see it! It’s only on display from September 14 to 17.
Constitution 225: Tweet the Preamble!
Think you can condense the Preamble into 140 characters? Tweet away, or reblog with your submission!
It took 5 men to write the 52-word Preamble, but we think you can do it in 140 characters on Twitter (or in the comments below).
From today through September 17—the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution—we’re asking you to condense the meaning of the Preamble in a bite-sized tweet and let us know at @USNatArchives.
On Constitution Day, the Archivist of the United States will choose the winner, who will receive a pocket-size Constitution from the Foundation for the National Archives.
The rules are simple: shorten the Preamble down to as few words (or letters) as possible while retaining the Preamble’s meaning, then tweet us your response using the hashtag #Preamble. (Or, just put your submission in the comments below)
“We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice,
insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general Welfare,
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.”Full details here: http://go.usa.gov/r7TH
Sometimes you move for better schools or an easier commute, but when the National Personnel Records Center moved, they did it for the records:
What a Difference a Move Makes
When the National Archives at St. Louis National Personnel Records Center moved into its new building, we did it for the records.
NARA monitors temperature and relative humidity throughout our buildings with electronic dataloggers called Preservation Environment Monitors, or PEMs. The PEMs constantly gather temperature and humidity readings, which we collect and evaluate. The data can alert us to problems with our HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems before they become serious.
The first graph is from our old building on Page Avenue. The second graph is from one of Archives Drive’s archival bays. Notice how often the PEM recorded temperatures at Page Avenue that were above 100° F and humidity levels that were above 60%. Under NARA Directive 1571 the proper temperature and humidity for archival records is 65°F/35% (±5%).
So, the move made not only the employees but our holdings much happier.
September 12, 1962 — President John F. Kennedy speaks at Rice University Stadium, Houston, Texas, concerning the nation’s efforts in space exploration. In his speech the President discusses the necessity for the United States to become an international leader in space exploration and famously states, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
“Committee of Style” - hip new boutique or the critical team of editors responsible for the Constitution’s iconic language?
By the second week of September, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had hammered out nearly all of the details of new government. They had carefully recorded each article they adopted throughout the summer, but they had not focused much energy on making them presentable as a whole.
Aware they would soon lift their self-imposed veil of secrecy and present the finished document to the rest of the nation, they referred the entire document to the Committee on Style. The Committee of Style was charged with organizing the articles and polishing the language to impart the Constitution with a consistent voice commensurate with its status as the foundation of the United States government.
The five delegates selected to serve on Committee of Style were William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, and Rufus King.
Perhaps the most iconic edit proposed by the Committee of Style appears in the first line of the Preamble to the Constitution. While earlier drafts listed each state individually, the Preamble presented to the Convention on September 12 began “We the People of the United States.”
Dogtag of Looking Back Isaac
An aluminum dogtag from the remains of Private Looking Back Isaac—killed north of Flirey, France, on September 12, 1918. Unmarried and without children, he was buried in an American cemetery.
via DocsTeach
Learn about the Constitution on iTunes U!
It’s almost Constitution Day! This September 17th marks 225 years since the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787. At the National Archives we’re commemorating the occasion throughout September with special programs, online media, and learning materials.
If you’re interested in brushing up on your knowledge of the Constitution, try our brand new United States Constitution course on iTunes U.
In it you’ll discover our multi-touch book for iPad – Exploring the United States Constitution – as well as blog posts, articles, videos, documents, and activities in the DocsTeach App for iPad. The course can be accessed for free with the iTunes App for iPad or from http://itunes.apple.com/us/course/united-states-constitution/id559398926
For information about special events and public programs at the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, to access teaching and learning resources, and to connect with the National Archives through social media, visit our Constitution Day page.
Shadowy Towers of the World Trade Center rise behind St. Paul’s Chapel in this Documerica photograph.
Historic Trinity Church on lower Broadway at the foot of Wall Street. Behind loom the towers of one of Manhattan’s newest giants, The World Trade Center. 05/1973.