In 1926, Congress approved the creation of a National Archives and the construction of a building to house the archives. The National Archives building project was part of Congress' efforts to improve and beautify the capital city. Architect John Russell Pope designed a neoclassical Greek temple-like structure that complemented the architecture of nearby government buildings. Construction began in 1931 and was completed four years later.

The building reached its storage capacity in the 1960s. Today archival records are stored in regional facilities and the extra storage building constructed in Maryland in 1993. The National Archives and Records Administration also oversees thirteen presidential libraries of past presidents.

The National Archives is well known for displaying the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other documents relating to the foundation of America, including a copy of the Magna Carta and the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights. In addition to these Charters of Freedom, the National Archives also collects and preserves military records, Congressional and political documents, immigration records, treaties, journals, letters, and photographs.

Today there are over 9 billion pages of documents, 20 million photographs, and 7 million maps, in addition to hundreds of thousands of reels of film, tapes, microfilm, and other media.

Thousands of records are available to the public online, including genealogical information, military records, and federal documents. All of the Archives' records are available free to the public at the National Archives building in Washington, D.C., as well as the Maryland storage facility, regional archives centers, and presidential libraries.

Narrative researched and written by University of West Florida graduate student Stephanie Powell.