“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It’s a faded document, barely readable, protected by a gold-plated titanium frame on an aluminum base and encased behind bullet-proof glass filled with inert argon gas. 

It’s guarded 24/7/365.

But it’s there for all to see in the rotunda of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.

The Declaration of Independence is the keystone of America’s three Charters of Freedom. The other two are the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The Declaration expresses the ideals the United States was founded upon and the reasons for the colonies’ separation from Great Britain. The Constitution defines the framework of the new federal government, and the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, defines citizens’ and states’ rights.

In June 1776, in the midst of a revolutionary war against Great Britain, Richard Henry Lee, a Virginia delegate to the newly formed Congress, called for a resolution of the 13 colonies to declare themselves independent from royal rule. Congress recessed before his resolution could be approved.

However, because debate of Lee’s resolution indicated the it would be approved, a Committee of Five was appointed to draft a statement of independence. The committee consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R. Livingston of New York, and Roger Sherman of Connecticut. It was recommended that Jefferson do the writing.

Congress readjourned in Philadelphia July 1. It voted for independence and approved Lee’s resolution July 2 during a closed session.

Between July 2 and July 4, Congress focused its attention on the Committee of Five’s draft document. After making more than 80 changes to Jefferson’s text and shortening the length by a quarter, Congress approved the final wording on July 4, 1776, with no opposing votes cast. It was signed by John Hancock, president, and Charles Thomson, secretary, of the Congress.

Recognizing the importance of the document, Congress had copies made. Printer John Dunlap of Philadelphia printed about 200 copies of the declaration, now known as “Dunlap Broadsides.”

Copies were distributed throughout the new nation. One was given to George Washington, which he read to his troops in New York City July 9.

Of the original 200, only 24 copies of the Dunlap Broadsides are known to exist. Two of them are held by the Library of Congress, including Washington’s personal copy.

On July 19, Congress declared the Declaration to be “engrossed” on parchment—that is, copied in large handwriting—and signed by every member of Congress. John Hancock and most of the other members of Congress who were present officially signed the document Aug. 2. Eventually, the document contained 56 signatures. This is the document on display at the National Archives.

Now, two-and-a-half centuries years later, American is celebrating the actions of the 56 statesmen who signed one of the most important documents of the United States of America: the Declaration of Independence.

Did you know:

• The Declaration of Independence measures 29.5 inches by 24 inches (or 2-foot 5 1/2 inches by 2 feet).
• There are 1,337 words in the declaration (including the heading, but not the signatures).
• There is writing on bottom edge of the reverse side of the Declaration: “Original Declaration of Independence dated 4th July 1776.”
• The Thomas Jefferson version of the Declaration of Independence was signed only by John Hancock, president, and Charles Thomson, secretary, of the Congress on July 4, 1776.
• Printer John Dunlap produced about 200 copies of the Declaration the evening of July 4, 1776. These copies were distributed to state assemblies, conventions and the commanding officers of the Continental troops. Only 26 of these copies are known to exist. One copy was discovered at a flea market in 1989 and was purchased by TV producer Norman Lear.
• Gen. George Washington, commander in chief of the Continental Army, read the Declaration to his troops July 9, 1776.
• Congress ordered the Declaration to be “engrossed” on parchment—copied in large handwriting—and signed by every member of Congress. This is considered the original copy that is housed at the National Archives.
• John Hancock signed the engrossed copy in his well-known bold signature Aug. 2, 1776.
• The parchment the Declaration is written on is highly susceptible to fading from ultraviolet and bright visible light.
• The encasement that contains the Declaration of Independence is lowered into an underground vault every night for safekeeping.
• The encasement is filled with an inert argon gas rather than oxygen to prevent further deterioration.
• The display area at the National Archives for America’s Charters of Freedom—the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights—is guarded 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the second and third U.S. presidents and signers of the Declaration of Independence, both died on July 4, 1826.
• James Monroe, the fourth U.S. president, also died on July 4, but in 1831, the third president in a row to die on Independence Day.
• And the rebuilt One World Trade Center building in New York City, built after 9-11, is 1776 feet tall to symbolize the Declaration of Independence, and is the tallest building in the United. States.