The National Archives may house some of the nation’s oldest and most important documents, but there is nothing musty or dusty about its approach to history.
During December it is sponsoring a "Bill of Rights Twitter Contest," in observance of the 219th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Each day the challenge is to take a designated amendment and condense it into a bite-sized tweet.
Today, the actual anniversary of the ratification, the challenge is the all-encompassing Amendment I. The challenge comes with a bonus round: Summarize the entire Bill of Rights in one tweet. As the founding fathers’ descendants know, that means up to 140 characters.
Amendment I:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The hashtag is #BillofRights. For information on rules and prizes, check out the National Archives website. And should you come to Washington, D.C., you can see an original copy of the Bill of Rights, along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution on display at the National Archives.
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