An insider's look at the extraordinary engineering efforts that are safeguarding the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

September 2007( check local listings)

Every year, more than a million people visit the Rotunda at the National Archives in Washington to gaze at three documents that define our nation's heritage: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. But these touchstones of democracy are in serious trouble. The ink is flaking from parchments that are already badly faded, while the glass casements built to exhibit them are disintegrating. To head off the danger, the Archives embarked on a five-year project to design state-of-the-art encasements and a new rotunda. NOVA was given exclusive behind-the-scenes access to this unique project from start to finish. The result is a brilliant evocation of the colorful history of these documents and an insider's look at the extraordinary engineering efforts that are safeguarding America's equivalent of the Crown Jewels.