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Pictures of the Documents – The U.S. Constitution Online – USConstitution.net

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by

James Caldwell
in

Pictures of the Documents

The Constitution

The following links point to photographs of the copy of the United States
Constitution stored in a vault in the National Archives and Records
Administration, as well as a picture of the letter of transmittal that
accompanied the copies sent to the Congress and the states after it was
approved by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Aside from the copy
stored at NARA, about 20 other copies dating back to the Convention are known
to exist in various American and British collections, mostly in those of state
governments and universities.

These images are courtesy of the National
Archives and Records Administration.

The Declaration of Independence

The following is an image based on the Stone Engraving of the Declaration of
Independence. The Stone Engraving is an exquisite reproduction of the
Declaration created in 1823 by William Stone. The story of the Stone Engraving
can be found at the National
Archives.

This image is courtesy of the National
Archives.

The Bill of Rights

The original Bill of Rights was passed by Congress
on September 25, 1789, and copies of the first twelve articles of amendment
were transcribed to be sent to the states for ratification. The following is
an image of one of those copies. The ink is badly faded.

This image is courtesy of the National
Archives.

Articles of Confederation

These images point to pictures of the Articles of
Confederation. The Articles are a badly damaged and faded document. It is
much easier to read the Articles in their original form if the transcribed
version is used at the same time. The Articles are stored in a single long
scroll. Each image is of a portion of the scroll, and there are some gaps
and overlaps in the sequence.

These images are courtesy of the Government Printing Office.

The Emancipation Proclamation

These images point to pictures of the Emancipation
Proclamation.

These images are courtesy of the Government Printing Office.

  • Page 1 –
    “By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation”
    (linkable: eman1.jpg – 137Kb)
  • Page 2 –
    “… of January aforesaid…”
    (linkable: eman2.jpg – 122Kb)
  • Page 3 –
    “… day first above mentioned…”
    (linkable: eman3.jpg – 120Kb)
  • Page 4 –
    “… government of the United States…”
    (linkable: eman4.jpg – 125Kb)
  • Page 5 –
    Signature
    (linkable: eman5.jpg – 101Kb)

The Gettysburg Address

These images point to pictures of the Gettysburg
Address. Several different versions written by the President exist – these
images are of the so-called “Hay Copy”.

These images are courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Coloring Pages

Click on an image to get an image suitable for printing. PDF files are also
available. These pages make great learning tools for kids in the preschool
through 2nd grade ages. These images can be copied as many times as needed,
for educational purposes.

We the People Coloring Page
We the People – the famous first three words of
the Preamble of the Constitution
(PDF).

Independence Hall Coloring Page
Independence Hall in
Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution were created and signed.
(PDF).

Ben Franklin's Rising Sun Coloring Page
This is the chair back that George Washington sat in as
President of the Convention. Benjamin Franklin remarked that until the
Constitution was completed, he was unsure if the sun was rising or setting, but
he was then convinced it was surely rising.
(PDF).

The Capitol Building Coloring Page
The Capitol Building in Washington,
D.C., where the Congress meets.
(PDF).

The White House Coloring Page
The
White House in Washington, D.C., where the President works and resides.
(PDF).

The Supreme Court Coloring Page
The Supreme Court Building in Washington,
D.C., where the Supreme Court meets and hears cases.
(PDF).

Important link notice: Because of the size of
these files, you are not permitted to link directly to them. If you do, you
will see a small image that says “Do not steal bandwidth.” If you wish to link
directly to an image, you can link instead to a special file I have created for
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this page.

Example code: <a
href=”http://www.usconstitution.net/i_cpage1.html”>Click here to see page 1
of the Constitution!</a>