Danny Sweeney, age 12, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for his question:

What are the National Archives?

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are dear to every citizen of the United States. They are the blueprints of our historic past, our present and our future. We must be able to refer to them and they must be preserved for generations to come as evidence of the fact. These original documents are sealed in helium filled cases made of bronze and glass. Their safe storage place is the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

The word "archive" means a place for storing records and our many government records of importance need many safe archives. There are historic treaties and agreements, maps aid papers, documents and documentary records and sound recordings of many kinds. All these important items have their safe storage places in the huge National Archives Building. They share this stately home with the three historic documents that form the basis of our precious freedoms.