Charters of Freedom

This cabinet contains historic copies of the three most important documents in American history. President Truman presented this copy of the United States Constitution to the people of San Francisco during the establishment and signing of the United Nations Charter, which took place in this very building in 1945. 

Each of these important documents is founded on the principle that every individual possesses fundamental rights that governments are created to protect. The Declaration of Independence was intended to justify the United States’ separation from Great Britain, while the Constitution and Bill of Rights defined and established a framework for the government.