The country’s impending 250th birthday provides myriad opportunities for Americans to gather, ponder, and reflect on the nation’s history and the principles that have enabled American greatness. As part of that effort, the National Archives in Washington has, for the first time in that history, allowed ordinary Americans to read the entire original version of the nation’s founding document.

For two weeks — from Sept. 16 through Oct. 1 — the entire Constitution is on public display. Visitors to our nation’s capital from across the country and around the world can view these priceless documents and, in doing so, hopefully rededicate themselves to the principles of the American experiment.

Fifth Page on Display

I visited the Archives on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, to observe the full Constitution 238 years after its signing in Philadelphia. In addition to the documents normally on display in its rotunda — the Declaration of Independence, the four pages of the Constitution, and the constitutional amendments comprising the Bill of Rights — the Archives for this special display has exhibited the Constitution’s fifth page.

Like most Americans, I had no idea the Constitution had a fifth page, even after viewing the four pages normally on display numerous times. The fifth page doesn’t include any legally binding text; rather, it amounts to a glorified cover letter, providing instructions on how states should ratify the document. As an artifact, the document — with the signature of George Washington, the Constitutional Convention’s president, clearly visible — shows how information traveled slowly in 18th-century America:

Nation’s History via Amendments

Also included in this special exhibit were all 27 amendments to the Constitution in their original form. The resolutions passed by Congress, which include each amendment’s wording, are on display, from the 11th Amendment (relating to suits against states and passed by the Third Congress in 1794), handwritten on parchment, to more recent amendments typewritten on paper stationery.

One slight exception to the rule is the most recent constitutional amendment to receive ratification, which also happened to be among the first proposed. The 27th Amendment, which prohibits Congress from increasing its own pay without an intervening election, was initially submitted by Congress to the states with the original Bill of Rights in 1789. But the amendment languished during the ratification process for two centuries and did not become part of the Constitution until 1992. The text of the amendment is actually included in the Bill of Rights document, which is usually on display at the Archives — it precedes what we think of as the First Amendment, which was the third that Congress submitted to the states — and the Archivist’s certification document is included in the special exhibit.

While congressional pay seems like a relatively trivial matter in the scope of a government that spends trillions of dollars annually, the 27th Amendment speaks to the greatness of our republic. Gregory Watson, an undergraduate student at the University of Texas, discovered this unratified amendment as part of a class project in 1982. He argued that the amendment was still “live” (i.e., it could get ratified into law), proceeded to lobby states to have them ratify the amendment, and ultimately succeeded. Ironically, Watson only got a C on his paper, but his efforts helped change our nation’s founding document.

Timely Discussion

The display of the full Constitution seems particularly timely, given not just the impending semiquincentennial but our polarized political climate. From Democrats who claim President Trump is undermining democracy, to conservatives angered by media censorship during Covid, to complaints about “cancel culture” and free speech on both the left and the right, more Americans seem eager to invoke their rights — largely due to worries that someone else will take theirs away.

But our governing document begins with the words “We the People” for a reason. As Americans, we grant each other rights in exchange for the responsibility of respecting others’ rights — even, perhaps especially, when we disagree with those individuals’ opinions or actions. Visiting the Archives’ special display, reading our foundational document, and understanding the Constitution, its history, and its principles will help us each remember our rights and our responsibilities — a critical part of forming the “more perfect union” our framers envisioned over two centuries ago.

The full Constitution with amendments will be on display at the National Archives through Wednesday, Oct. 1.