Permanent exhibit

The Rotunda is the permanent home of the Charters of Freedom: the Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the United States, and Bill of Rights. This magnificent space designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope serves, as President Herbert Hoover put it, a “temple to our history.” In addition to the Charters, two small galleries flanking both sides of the space feature special rotating documents. 

The Documents

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The Faulkner Murals

The Faulkner Murals gracing the curved walls of the Rotunda were painted by artist Barry Faulkner in 1935–36 and depict fictional scenes of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They are among the largest single-piece oil-on-canvas murals in the United States.

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The Rotunda Galleries

In addition to the Charters, two small galleries flanking both sides of the space feature additional special documents. 

In the West Rotunda Gallery, the Road to Revolution rotating display highlights National Archives records that document major milestones and critical historical context to the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Learn more here.

Find a rotating variety of featured documents in the East Rotunda Gallery. For the latest document on display, visit the our Documents page.