National Treasure: Preserving the Declaration

It's the season to celebrate the freedoms that we cherish in the United States of America.  The Declaration that Jefferson wrote (with the assistance of other founders) was a genius breakup letter with King George III of England.  It's also the main character in Jerry Bruckheimer's National Treasure, a movie in which Benjamin Gates, played by Nicolas Cage, is compelled to borrow the Declaration of Independence to protect it from people who will do harm to it.

Now, with the anniversary of its signing, we ponder over the ongoing preservation efforts for this parchment and the famous signatures of men who committed treason in its signing. They just don't make 'em like they used to.

It's not the law of the land, but this is our founding document - the item that spurred on a national battle cry to continues to strengthen our country today.

From the National Archives:

The Declaration of Independence is on permanent display inside a special encasement at the National Archives Museum.

The current display case was designed by a team of scientists, engineers and technicians from the National Archives, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other experts.  They spent four years designing, fabricating, and testing the preservation system.
​
The encasement has an aluminum base and titanium frame made from single pieces of metal to eliminate potentially leaky seams. Inside the case is an atmosphere of argon gas, which has larger molecules than the previously used helium–this will also minimize leakage. The laminated, tempered glass does not touch the parchment, and there are built-in window ports, sensors, and instrument bays for monitoring the environment to preserve the document. For visitors, this design means that the document can be positioned so that all visitors can see it. Finally, unlike the previous encasements, staff can open the case - if it’s ever necessary - and then easily reseal it.