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National Archives celebrates Bill of Rights Day with "Inside the Vaults" Video short
Press Release · Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Press Release
December 15, 2010

National Archives celebrates Bill of Rights Day with"Inside the Vaults" Video Short

Washington, DC…Just in time for Bill of Rights Day, the National Archives has launched its latest "Inside the Vaults" video short [http://tiny.cc/BillRts] online (see below). This video celebrates today's anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights by the First Federal Congress, guaranteeing the basic rights of all Americans, adopted four years after the U.S. Constitution.

In accordance with OMB's new policy on cookies, NARA is now embedding videos from YouTube. We have enabled the privacy-enhanced mode for these videos. YouTube is not using cookies on behalf of NARA, and any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that YouTube may collect is not shared with NARA. NARA's Privacy Policy is available online. YouTube's Privacy Policy is also available online.

The National Archives' produced 2:40 "Bill of Rights" video short features Charlene Bickford, Director of the First Federal Congress Project at George Washington University, discussing the Project's important work of both of collecting, researching, editing and publishing the Documentary History of the First Federal Congress, l789-l791, and serving as a research/education center on the most important and productive Congress in U.S. history. Bickford praises the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), a statutory body affiliated with the National Archives, in making the Project's work possible.

The First Congress adopted Constitutional amendments which are known today as the Bill of Rights. To mark Bill of Rights Day, "Inside the Vaults" looks at the work of The First Federal Congress Project. Seventeen volumes of letters, debate records, newspaper articles, petitions and other documents have been printed thus far -- and there are still five volumes to go. The First Federal Congress Project is funded in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making entity within the National Archives.

After more than 40 years of research and more than 14,000 documents new discoveries are still being made as scholars at The George Washington University continue to collect every scrap of paper associated with the first Congress of the United States.

Background on NHPRC

The National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) supports a wide range of activities to preserve, publish, and encourage the use of documentary sources, created in every medium ranging from quill pen to computer, relating to the history of the United States.

Background on "Inside the Vaults"

"Inside the Vaults" is part of the ongoing effort by the National Archives to make its collections, stories, and accomplishments more accessible to the public. "Inside the Vaults" gives voice to Archives staff and users, highlights new and exciting finds at the Archives, and reports on complicated and technical subjects in easily understandable presentations. Earlier topics include the conservation of the original Declaration of Independence, the new Grace Tully collection of documents at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library, and the transfer to the National Archives of the Nuremberg Laws. The film series is free to view and distribute on our YouTube channel [http://tiny.cc/Vaults].

Created by a former broadcast network news producer, the "Inside the Vaults" video shorts series presents "behind the scenes" exclusives and offer surprising glimpses of the National Archives treasures. These videos are in the public domain and not subject to any copyright restrictions. The National Archives encourages the free distribution of them.

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See Discovering the Civil War [http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/civil-war] exhibit details.

For Press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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