George Washington, whose birthday Americans celebrate this month, sent a letter on Aug. 13, 1776, to the president of Congress regarding the safeguarding of his papers. Washington understood the importance of preserving our new nation’s history. Many of our first president’s successors also appreciated this. They became stewards of the records of our past, believed that truth and transparency matter, and held onto the idea that our institutions are more significant than one single individual.
Before Congress created the National Archives in 1934, each executive department was tasked with keeping its own archives. Congress gave the Department of State the important task of safeguarding the nation’s early state papers, such as Washington’s papers as commander of the Continental Army, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution.
During the War of 1812, the British landed troops in Maryland and started advancing north. It became clear to then-Secretary of State James Monroe that the British intended to invade Washington. He dispatched a messenger with a note to President James Madison, saying, “The enemy are in full march for Washington. Have the materials prepared to destroy the bridges.” In a postscript, Monroe added: “You had better remove the records.” Department of State individuals bagged up the archives including the Articles of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.
Prior to evacuating the White House, first lady Dolly Madison sacrificed packing up private property for Cabinet papers and valuables. She also famously insisted that the Gilbert Stuart painting of George Washington be removed to prevent it from falling into the hands of the British. The British had destroyed or removed nearly all the government papers that had remained in the city. When President Madison returned to the city, he denounced the British forces for destroying “depositories of the public archives, not only precious to the nation as the memorials of its origin and its early transactions, but interesting to all nations as contributions to the general stock of historical instruction and political science.”
In 1930, President Herbert Hoover named a panel to draw up specifications for the building that would later become the National Archives. President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1934 signed legislation creating the National Archives. Roosevelt eventually became the most influential president in establishing the broad outlines of the National Archives agency.
President Harry Truman delivered an address during ceremonies dedicating a new shrine for the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights at the National Archives in 1952. The Archives began referring to the three documents collectively as the Charters of Freedom. The Charters of Freedom can still be seen on display today in the rotunda of the National Archives in Washington.
Following the Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon wanted to take all his presidential records with him. Congress had the foresight to see the issues with this and in 1978 passed the Presidential Records Act. This legislation designated all the records of presidents, beginning with the president who took office January 1981, as the property of the federal government and directed that they be deposited with the National Archives at the end of each president’s term. President Ronald Reagan signed legislation in 1984 removing the National Archives from the General Services Administration and creating an independent agency called the National Archives and Records Administration.
The Presidential Records Act has been in the news lately. It has been widely reported that former President Donald Trump took classified information to his Florida home after leaving the White House. The National Archives sent a letter to Congress that the agency recovered 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago.
It has also been reported that Trump routinely tore up documents and that White House staff during the Trump administration recovered and taped together some of the torn-up records. The matter has been referred to the Justice Department.
It remains to be seen if Trump will face any sort of accountability for his violations of the Presidential Records Act. The Presidential Records Act has historically relied on acts of good faith and norms. This is just one more example of how Trump violated the integrity of the office of the president.
There has been a long history of presidents, starting with our first, who grasped the concept that having access to the American people’s records can help us understand our history and strengthen our democracy. Since we can no longer assume they will be protected, let us remember fondly and celebrate our presidents who ensured the safety of our archives.
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