The National Archives Through the Decades

Although the construction of the National Archives Building would not be completed until after he left office, President Herbert Hoover laid the building's cornerstone on February 20, 1933. In the cornerstone, he included facsimiles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, an American flag, and copies of the public acts authorizing the construction of the building.

As part of the National Archives Act, the National Historical Publications Commission (NHPC) was established. Its mission is to provide national leadership in promoting the preservation and use of the materials of our nation’s heritage. Chaired by the Archivist of the United States, it is composed of representatives of the three branches of government and professional archivists, historians, documentary editors, and records administrators. Their goal is to see that historical records not in the National Archives were properly preserved.

On June 19, 1934, Congress passed the National Archives Act. It created the National Archives as a Federal agency and the Office of the Archivist of the United States to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The legislation put the National Archives Building into the immediate custody of the Archivist and gave him the power to inspect the records of any agency and arrange for their transfer to the National Archives.

In accordance with the National Archives Act, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Robert D. W. Connor as the first Archivist of the United States on October 10, 1934. The Senate confirmed his nomination the following year. Serving as the Archivist until 1941, Connor helped lay the foundation for the new agency to accession, archive, preserve, and make available Federal records.

On July 26, 1935, Congress passed the Federal Register Act, giving the National Archives the responsibility to publish the government’s rules, regulations, and orders. It created the division of the Federal Register at the National Archives “to bring order to the core documents of the Executive Branch and make them broadly available to the American Public.”

In 1930, the advisory committee appointed by President Herbert Hoover to determine the size and character of the National Archives Building incorrectly estimated that less than 50 percent of the building’s records storage capacity would be occupied 50 years after its opening. The initial design of the National Archives Building included an inner courtyard designed to be filled with additional stacks when needed in the distant future.  On December 21, 1935, Archivist Robert D.W. Connor requested the construction of stack areas in the inner court of the building, doubling storage space from 374,000 square feet to more than 757,000 square feet.

On January 7, 1936, the first records arrived at the National Archives Building. The records of the World War I U.S. Food Administration, Sugar Equalization Board, and the U.S. Grain Corporation had been inactive since the end of World War I. Before the National Archives, Federal records were kept in very poor storage conditions including vermin, dust, and danger of fire and water damage. Over 16 days, 192 truckloads of records came to the National Archives Building.

At the beginning of October 1936, the two 14- by 37.5-foot oil-on-canvas murals by American artist Barry Faulkner were installed in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building. The murals are stylized depictions of two pivotal moments in American history—the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution—and were intended to complement the display of those two documents. In one, Thomas Jefferson hands his draft of the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock in 1776. In the other, James Madison presents his draft of the Constitution to George Washington at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

Architect John Russell Pope designed what he called the “Temple of Clio,” after the Greek muse of history. Prior to its completion, the Archives employees worked in temporary offices. They moved into the building on November 5, 1935, before construction was complete. Days later, the Constitution Avenue entrance was opened to the public, and the following year the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance was opened to researchers. In 1937, the National Archives Building was finally finished.

On March 16, 1938, the Bill of Rights came to the National Archives from the Department of State. Ratified on December 15, 1791, by the First Congress of the United States, the Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.

On June 30, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the first Presidential Library in Hyde Park, NY, which laid the basis for the Presidential Libraries Act of 1955. This library included personal and family papers, manuscripts related to his state and national public careers, photographs, media recordings, books, periodicals, and his vast memorabilia collection. 

By 1942 it was apparent agency records management techniques were inadequate. Many Federal agencies were negligent in caring for their records before the establishment of the National Archives. In addition, the Archives received a high influx of records during and post-World War II, so improvements needed to be made for preservation, filing systems, and records storage.

Congress passed the Records Disposal Act on July 7, 1943. This act defined what a record was and authorized the National Archives Council to develop procedures to schedule records for disposal, to dispose of them, and to reproduce them on microfilm so that the originals could be disposed. More efficient ways to deal with valueless records provided a better environment for records that were to be kept permanently.

On September 25, 1946, President Truman issued Executive Order #9784, which required each agency to develop an active records management program. The end of World War II led to an exponential increase of records coming into the Archives, so the Bureau of the Budget “with the advice and assistance of the National Archives,” was to conduct inspections, require reports, and issue directives and regulations concerning the orderly disposal of unnecessary records.

On July 1, 1949, the National Archives lost its independence and was incorporated into the General Services Administration (GSA). The National Archives was renamed the National Archives and Records Service (NARS). The GSA was created to streamline the administrative work of the Federal Government. It consolidated many different agencies into one Federal agency tasked with providing supplies and workplaces for Federal employees, shifting the National Archives from a preservation agency into a service organization.

On May 1, 1950, the first Federal Records Center (FRC) was opened in New York City. The nationwide centers provide economical and efficient storage, maintenance, and servicing of inactive Federal records. They serve as temporary storage space for records until they are sent to the National Archives for permanent storage or disposed of, depending on their retention schedule.

On May 24, 1950, President Truman transmitted the President’s Reorganization Plan No. 20, transferring most functions relating to Federal records from the Department of State to the newly created General Services Administration (GSA), and under that to the National Archives. However, the Department of State maintained its custody and publication responsibilities for international affairs documents. Consolidating these functions in the Archives would provide “for greater efficiency and economy.” One of the most significant changes was the transfer of the “certification and publication of amendments to the Constitution of the United States and the preservation of such amendments” to the GSA. The GSA gave this responsibility to the Archivist of the United States, who still has that function today.

On September 5, 1950, Congress passed the Federal Records Act, mandating the creation and preservation of records necessary to document Federal activities. It established Federal ownership of the records, provided legal procedures for records disposition, and mandated that Federal agencies work with the National Archives on records management. 

When the National Archives was opened, two of our nation’s founding documents were housed in the Library of Congress. In an official ceremony on December 13, 1952, the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence were delivered to their new home in the National Archives.

On December 15, 1952, the Charters of Freedom were unveiled for the first time in the Exhibition Hall of the National Archives. The documents were exhibited in a different configuration than today. The Declaration of Independence was displayed vertically above the first and last pages of the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.

Inspired by the President Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, Congress passed the Presidential Library Act on August 12, 1955. This act established a system of privately erected and Federally maintained libraries that ensure the preservation of Presidential papers and their availability to the American people. To promote a more open government, Presidents were encouraged to donate their historical materials for public access. President Harry S. Truman was the first to take advantage of the legislation. 

On July 4, 1967, the Freedom of Information Act took effect, generally providing any person with the statutory right, enforceable in court, to obtain access to Government information in executive branch agency records. This act enabled public research of unclassified Federal records. President Lyndon Johnson signed the act one year earlier. 

In 1969, the National Archives started its Regional Archives system. Making regionally created, historically valuable Federal records accessible to the local public, each archives was originally housed in a Federal Records Center. The Regional Archives contained documents of national, regional, state, and local activities and interests.

In spring 1969, the National Archives began publishing its scholarly journal, Prologue. Initially published three times a year, it eventually became a quarterly publication that provided readers with stories and enriching articles about the abundance of history held at the National Archives in Washington, DC, the regional archives, and the Presidential Libraries around the nation. Prologue ceased publication in 2018. 

On April 16, 1970, the National Archives accessioned its first batch of electronic records. By law, all Federal agencies are required to send their permanent records to the National Archives, including those created and stored electronically. To more efficiently store and provide access to electronic records, the National Archives created the Electronic Records Archive (ERA) in 2000.

On Constitution Day, September 17, 1970, the National Archives exhibited the entire U.S. Constitution for the first time. This idea led to the eventual permanent display of all four pages of the Constitution beginning in 2003.

At the beginning of fiscal year 1972, the General Service Administration announced its “New Way” initiative, characterized by flexibility, responsiveness, economy in management, and creativity in problem-solving. The initiative named the National Archives and Records Service one of the five key elements of the General Services Administration. The others were the Public Buildings Service, the Property Management and Disposal Service, the Federal Supply Service, and the Automated Data and Telecommunications Service.

In light of the investigation into President Richard Nixon and the infamous Watergate scandal in 1972, Congress passed the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act on December 19, 1974. It authorized the government to seize Nixon’s White House records and place them in the hands of the National Archives. Though this act strictly applied to President Nixon, it led to the Presidential Records Act to avoid future fights over the custody of Presidential records.

In 1978, the National Historical Publications Commission was renamed the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). It is the grant-making authority of the National Archives. Its purpose is to promote the preservation and accessibility of historical records and to publish, in print or electronically, the papers of significant figures and themes in American history. NHPRC staff implements policies, advises the NHPRC on proposals, and provides assistance and advice to potential applicants and grantees.

In 1978, Congress passed the Presidential Records Act, which changed the legal ownership of the official records of the President from private to public. This act also established a new statutory structure under which Presidents must manage their records for improved preservation. Ronald Reagan was the first President who had to comply with the act's requirements. 

On October 19, 1984, Congress passed the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Act.  It reestablished the National Archives as an independent agency within the executive branch of government. 

On April 1, 1985, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) officially became independent from the General Services Administration, and the Archivist of the United States began reporting directly to the President of the United States. Between October 1984, when the NARA Act was passed, to April 1985, Archives staff worked to reorganize into a fully functioning independent Federal agency.

On September 22, 1988, Public Law 100-440, the Treasury, Postal Service and General Government Appropriations Act, authorized the financing and construction of another archives site. To be built in College Park, Maryland, this new site would house special media, modern agency, and electronic records. 

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was dedicated on November 4, 1991, in Simi Valley, California. This momentous occasion was the first time that five Presidents—George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, and Richard Nixon—gathered together in the same place. It was also the first Presidential Library that had to comply with the 1978 Presidential Records Act. 

In 1992, the Foundation for the National Archives was founded. Now known as the National Archives Foundation, this nonprofit organization supports agency activities that cannot be funded with congressional appropriations. It generates financial and creative assistance for exhibits, public programs, and educational initiatives.

On May 18, 1992, Seventh Archivist of the United States Don W. Wilson certified the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment states, “No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect, until an election of the Representatives shall have intervened,” and was originally proposed in 1789! After Michigan ratified it in 1992, it became ratified by three-fourths of the states, making it part of the Constitution. Since 1950 the Archivist has had the responsibility to certify that constitutional amendments have been properly ratified. 

Between 1993 and 2001, the use of computers to produce official Federal Government records skyrocketed. To keep up with the fast-paced world of technology, the Archives studied procedures that would efficiently and effectively store text documents, emails, web pages, and other kinds of electronic records.

In May 1994, the National Archives’ first website went live on the internet. The original web address was www.nara.gov. The "NARA" comes from the full name of the agency: the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Today the address is www.archives.gov.

Almost as soon as it opened, the National Archives Building began to run out of space. To accommodate for the rapid growth of the Federal Government and its records, other archives sites were added, including the National Archives at College Park, Maryland. Dedicated May 12, 1994, Archives II, as its informally known, has a storage capacity of over 2 million cubic feet and stores mostly newer and digital records on over 520 miles of shelves and in 10,828 map cases.

In 2000, the first Electronic Records Archives (ERA) office was established. The ERA is responsible for taking in and storing electronic records from the White House, Congress, and agencies across the Federal Government. 

From 2001 to 2005, the National Archives Building underwent massive internal renovations for the first time since it was built in the 1930s. Designed primarily for storage of Federal records, the building added an education center, more museum space, and a new research center.  Part of the renovations also included updating the building systems and providing a better environment for document preservation.

In November 2002, the Faulkner Murals were reinstalled in the Rotunda after being restored. Restoration began November 2000 to remove dust and grime. In December 2001, the murals were transported to a specially constructed preservation lab for restoration. After they were reinstalled, a temporary barrier was placed over the murals to protect them as the Rotunda renovation proceeded.

The new, and current, encasements for the Charters of Freedom were debuted in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building on September 17, 2003. These new encasements are more accessible to people with disabilities and small children. The exhibit also includes cases on both sides of the Rotunda with additional information about each document and its history.

On November 12, 2004, Eighth Archivist of the United States John W. Carlin officially opened the Public Vaults exhibit in the National Archives Building. This permanent exhibit includes fascinating original records and interactive exhibits that allow visitors to explore some of the most interesting documents, photos, and films in the National Archives. These documents include treaties and legislation dealing with important matters of state as well as fascinating stories from individual citizens such as letters to the President and citations for military bravery.

In 2007, the Boeing Learning Center was opened in the National Archives. This learning center provides an opportunity for students and teachers to participate in hands-on projects that encourage historical discovery and to access document facsimiles from the holdings of the Archives and many online resources.

In April 2008, the National Archives’ Digital Vaults went live. With over 1,200 documents, photographs, posters, artifacts, sound recordings, and moving images, visitors can create their own collections, games, posters, movies, and more.  It provides an online space where visitors can participate, be heard, and share ideas.

On June 30, 2013, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library was rededicated after being renovated for the first time since its opening in 1941. These $35 million renovations brought the first presidential library’s archives and museum up to the National Archives’ standards for the preservation of historic collections, while carefully preserving the building’s historic appearance.