National Archives show off historical gems in new exhibition

The National Archives has opened its flagship exhibition, “The American Story,” giving visitors an opportunity to get an up-close look at millions of historical items.

From the U.S. Constitution to the Declaration of Independence, the Archives houses some 13.5 billion paper records. But, “that doesn’t count the maps, the photographs, the artifacts,” according to Franck Cordes, campaign project director for the National Archives Foundation.

“We have about 700,000 artifacts in our collections,” he said.

And while not all those will be on display, dozens of important documents and artifacts from the Louisiana Purchase to the Great Seal of the United States appear at the new exhibit, which is located just steps from the rotunda.

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