In the United States, few documents possess greater historical and symbolic significance than the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights—collectively known as the Charters of Freedom. Ratified in 1776, 1788, and 1791 respectively, these foundational texts have guided the American democratic experiment for over two centuries. Their enduring legacy demands not only national reverence but also meticulous stewardship to ensure their preservation for future generations. Yet, their journey to a shared, permanent home was far from straightforward.
The formal custodianship of these documents began on July 27, 1789, with the establishment of the United States Department of State—the first executive agency of the federal government. Among its many responsibilities, the State Department was charged with safeguarding the nation’s founding documents. While the Bill of Rights had not yet been ratified at the time, it would soon join the collection under the Department’s care. This arrangement remained largely unchanged for over a century.
In 1920, Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, acting on recommendations from a committee of scholars, proposed that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution be permanently preserved and potentially exhibited for public viewing. President Warren G. Harding responded swiftly, issuing an executive order transferring custody of both documents from the Department of State to the Library of Congress.
The onset of World War II temporarily disrupted efforts to establish a permanent display. For security reasons, the documents were temporarily relocated, including a brief stay at Fort Knox, Kentucky. However, on September 17, 1951, President Harry S. Truman presided over a ceremonial re-encasement of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution in helium-filled cases. Joined by Chief Justice Fred M. Vinson and members of Congress, Truman emphasized the importance of preservation, declaring that such efforts would continue to “give energy and hope to new generations in the United States and abroad.” He further expressed his desire that the Bill of Rights be encased alongside the Constitution, calling the first ten amendments “the most important part of the Constitution.”
In the weeks that followed, Wayne Grover, Archivist of the United States, and Luther Evans, Librarian of Congress, agreed to transfer the Bill of Rights to the National Archives for joint preservation with the other Charters. Due to the stipulations of the Federal Records Act of 1950, however, the transfer required formal authorization by Congress. On April 30, 1952, Congress approved the measure, officially uniting the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights under the care of the National Archives.
At the time, although the National Archives was equipped to display the Charters, it lacked a secure facility to store them when not on view. To remedy this, the Archives commissioned the Mosler Safe Company of Hamilton, Ohio—one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of high-security safes and vaults—to design and construct a specialized storage system.
Re-founded in 1874, Mosler had a long history of federal contracts and had built numerous high-security installations, including the gold bullion vault at Fort Knox, vaults for the Manhattan Project, and 65-ton blast doors for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory—then considered the heaviest doors in the nation. The Charters vault project presented a particularly high-profile challenge, with a firm deadline: completion by Bill of Rights Day, December 15, 1952. With just over seven months to deliver, Mosler faced intense pressure to design, fabricate, test, and install the vault on an accelerated timeline.
Mosler engineers responded with determination, developing a vault system capable of withstanding fire, water, theft, seismic shock, and explosive force—critical considerations amid rising Cold War tensions. The overarching design brief was simple: the Charters must remain secure even if the entire weight of the Archives Exhibition Hall collapsed onto the vault.
The vault mechanism was both innovative and practical, functioning much like a large-scale Jack-in-the-box. The helium-filled encasements were placed inside larger display cases finished in bronze and marble, combining visual dignity with robust protection. Each night, or in an emergency, the Charters would descend via a custom-built scissor-lift elevator into a 50-ton steel-and-concrete vault located approximately 20 feet beneath the exhibition floor. This mechanism could be activated manually with a single button, with or without electricity. In the morning, shortly before opening, the Charters would ascend for display. Each cycle took roughly 90 seconds.
According to Charles Klotter, then Mosler’s manager of engineering, “the toughest part of the design was the doors on top of the vault,” which together weighed 11 tons. Hydraulic jacks were not permitted due to concerns about oil leaks. Instead, the system relied on mechanical scissor jacks to lift the cases—an unconventional but effective solution. Reflecting on the project, Klotter remarked, “You do so many, you can just close your eyes and do the thing.”
The vault was fabricated in full at Mosler’s Ohio facility, then disassembled and transported to Washington, D.C. for final installation. Despite the compressed timeline, Mosler completed construction in October 1952 and finalized all system tests by early December. On December 13, the National Archives formally accepted the vault and prepared to receive the Charters. Upon delivery, Mosler declared the installation the largest vault in the world.
On December 15, 1952—Bill of Rights Day—President Truman led a dedication ceremony for the new home of the Charters of Freedom. In his address, he proclaimed that the documents were now “as safe from destruction as anything that the wit of modern man could devise,” thanks to “the safest safe man has ever devised.”
For nearly five decades, the Mosler vault faithfully protected the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. It remained in continuous service until July 2001, when a comprehensive renovation of the National Archives began. Following the installation of advanced display cases and a modern vault system, the Charters of Freedom were returned to public display in September 2003, continuing their legacy as enduring symbols of liberty and democracy.