Harry Rosenstein, age 14, of Marquette, Mich., for his question:
WHEN WAS THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ESTABLISHED?
The National Archives, more properly called the National Archives and Records Service (NABS), is an institution under the direction of the archivist of the United States. It was established by the General Services Administration in 1949. The NARS succeeded the National Archives Establishment, which was created in 1934 by Congress.
The purpose of NARS is to select, preserve and make available to the federal government and the public historically valuable government records. The institution also published laws, constitutional amendments, presidential documents and administrative regulations.
The organization is responsible for the preservation of documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution and administers the presidential libraries and federal records centers.
The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C., is the repository of most of the permanent valuable records of the U.S. government. Such records include treaties, laws, presidential proclamations and executive orders, military reports, records of Indian affairs, census schedules, historically significant maps and charts, sound recordings, motion pictures and still pictures, notably the valuable collection of American Civil War photographs by Mathew Brady.
On permanent display in the Exhibition Hall are the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and other documents dating from 1774 to 1790.
Presidential libraries that are coordinated by the NARS include the Herbert Hoover, the Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Harry S Truman, the Dwight D. Eisenhower, the John F. Kennedy, the Lyndon B. Johnson and the Gerald R. Ford Libraries. The NARS also has custody of the Nixon presidential materials.
The presidential libraries are permanent parts of the National Archives.
Presidential proclamations, presidential executive orders and general regulations issued by the federal agencies are legally valid only when published in the NABS "Federal Register," which appears five times a week.
Codification of all regulatory documents is contained in a publication called the "Code of Federal Regulations."
The NABS also publishes the "Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents," the "United States Statutes at Large," the "United States Government Manual" and the "Public Papers of the Presidents."
The National Archives Building contains nearly 800,000 cubic feet of records. These records date from 1774 to the present. The temperature and humidity of the building's 196 stack areas are carefully controlled.
The three charters of America's freedom are sealed in bronze and glass cases filled with helium. They can be lowered at a moment's notice into a large fireproof and shockproof safe.