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ESC!Webs Site of the Week Week of July 2, 2000 Declaring Independence: Drafting the Documents Main Web Site: http://lcweb.loc.gov/exhibits/declara/declara1.html We all celebrate the birth of our country every July 4th with fireworks, picnics and time off of work. But, do we all remember why the celebration is taking place? How many of us remember our history classes and the stories behind the Declaration of Independence? The Library of Congress has put together an online exhibit chronicling the drafting of this important milestone in American history. This exhibit is the 'net equivalent of an exhibition currently housed within the Library of Congress. An "old style" web site, Declaring Independence is none-the-less a good telling of the events surrounding the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Created in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Thomas Jefferson Building (1997), this site was intended to act as a "preview" of the permanent exhibit to be housed there. What's To See? The site is broken down into three main sections: Chronology of Events, Drafting the Documents and Objects in the Exhibition. Chronology of Events is a straight listing of the events from June 7, 1776 until January 18, 1777 leading up to copies of the signed Declaration of Independence being sent to the states. Drafting the Documents details the actual writing and distribution process the Declaration of Independence underwent. It is a short history of the fragments now in possession of the Library of Congress and on display on the web site. Objects in the Exhibition is really the coolest part of the site. Fragments of the oldest known copies of the Declaration of Independence have been scanned and put online for public viewing. Though it's not as awesome as standing there with the actual document in front of you, the virtual version is really pretty cool. Plus, we now know that rows and rows of people walking past the document mounted under lights is really not the best for the longevity of this piece of history either. In all, this is a great site. I like having historical documents available for my perusal and I like that putting such documents online helps preserve them. This site demonstrates what the Internet is really all about -- the dissemination of knowledge to the common man. Let's hope that this site, and others like it, will persevere during this dark age of the almighty advertising dollar.
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