Saving the National Treasures [videorecording]

By Ronald H. Blumer

Subjects: Conservation and restoration, United States, United States. National Archives and Records Administration

Description: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are literally fading away. The Archives' curators have detected signs of decay. A unique team of leading conservators, engineers, and historians came to the rescue. A five-year project is underway to design new encasements and a new rotunda for the charters. NOVA's cameras followed the challenging, controversial plan, the behind the scenes debates, and intricate engineering tests. History meets technology in the ultimate preservation project. The nation's charters of freedom are in trouble. Since its creation over 200 years ago, the Declaration of Independence has seen plenty of abuse -- escaping the British armies rolled up in a saddlebag, traveling the country with the Continental Army, and baking in the window of the U.S. Patent Office. Now, the ink has faded so badly, it's rapidly disappearing. On top of that, the glass casements built to exhibit the Declaration in the National Archives started disintegrating, adding a new threat to the venerable parchment. A unique team of leading conservators, engineers, and historians came to the rescue. Over five years, NOVA's cameras followed their challenging, controversial plan to save the Declaration, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. NOVA captured behind-the-scenes debates and intricate engineering tests as the team figured out how to design state-of-the-art casements that would protect these precious documents from further damage. Saving the National Treasures is a compelling evocation of their turbulent history and an insider's look at the extraordinary technology that now safeguards America's charters of freedom. - Container.