The National Archives and Records Administration stores and provides public access to the original documents that set up the American government as a democracy in 1774. Visit the National Archives in Washington, DC and you will have the opportunity to view the United States Government's Charters of Freedom, the U. S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence. The records of the nation's civil, military and diplomatic activities are also held by the National Archives for present and future generations.