As hundreds of people waited on the lawn at the University of Virginia for a chance to glimpse Thomas Jefferson’s historic words, the school’s president – Scott Beardsley – dropped by.
“UVA is the only place in the world that has two copies of the Declaration of Independence, and we thought it would be great to put it in the Dome Room also created by Thomas Jefferson," he said.
We wondered if he was surprised by the crowd...
"Yes and no," he replied. "I think if we’d done it a few days ago in the sleet and the snow and the ice maybe it would have been a little smaller, but the combination of Thomas Jefferson, the United States of America and great weather – it’s hard to beat.”
And plenty of kids came, including Max Littlefield, who planned to show pictures to his social studies teacher.
“Congress – July 4th, 1776," he read aloud. "The declaration by the representatives of the United States of America.”
Visitors were in line for 90 minutes or more but generally agreed it was worth the wait.
“It’s a really cool experience to get to be a part of and see something so historical up close."
“And it’s quite surreal to be in such close proximity to an original copy of the declaration.”
“I thought it was going to be larger.”
“You know it was bigger than I realized it was.”
“It was just an opportunity to see a special document in the history of the world.”
“I do love on NPR every year when they read it on the Fourth of July. That’s something I look forward to. It’s not a very long document, but it’s pretty profound.”
“I mean I think the declaration is an important document in the history of this country.
“It’s relevant today, so it’s valuable to see the words that got our nation started off.”
“I appreciate everything our founding fathers achieved and did.”
“I’m a big history buff, and it’s cool to see one of the originals.”
“250th anniversary – get to witness kind of one-of-a-kind piece.”
“We were just excited to get to see this piece of history that UVA has. What a great place to do it at the Rotunda.”
“And this particular document, does it have a special place in your heart as an American?" we asked.
"Yes of course!” a young woman replied.
“Not just solely to declare independence but also inspire future generations to be proud of it.”
“It’s just a great opportunity to see a rare document like that and understand its importance.”
“It’s one of the most important documents in western civilization.”
“Just the words – All men are created equal -- and all the reasons that were stated not to follow a king. Those were very important then, and they’re just as important now if not more so.”
For those who missed the chance, it’s also possible to see the declaration without the wait at UVA’s Special Collections Library.
