В понедельник, 17 сентября, исполняется 225 лет Конституции США. В связи с этим в Филадельфии во вторник, будет открыт доступ для желающих посмотреть на оригиналы с 11:30 до 16:30. Бесплатно. Адрес: 1300 Locust st, Central Phila.

The treasured documents are rarely seen.

They're tucked in acid-free Mylar, inside a dark safe, behind a thick door of a walk-in, climate-controlled vault at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Their soaring words — on handwritten and printed paper — are usually viewed by only a few staff members who have security clearance to exit an elevator to the second floor where the vault is located, within a locked room.

They represent the thought processes of the nation's founders as they grappled with the language of the Constitution of the United States.

Outside of the Library of Congress, no other institution has more Constitution-related documents than the Historical Society at 1300 Locust St. in Center City.

Now, it will mark the Constitution's 225th anniversary by exhibiting six original drafts and copies of the document from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18. Admission is free.

«Although the signed, final version of the Constitution is in our nation's capital, the drafts of this document remain in Philadelphia, and rightly so,» said Kim Sajet, president and CEO of the Historical Society.

«It was here 225 years ago where our Founding Fathers gathered at Independence Hall and were charged with the momentous task of redefining our government,» she said.

The documents are «quite amazing,» added Lee Arnold, the Historical Society's senior director of the library and collections. «Every time I look at them, I'm always in awe.»

The exhibit is one of a host of anniversary displays and programs marking the adoption of the Constitution in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787.

The National Constitution Center on Independence Mall is offering free admission on Monday, Constitution Day. Guests can visit the center's old-fashioned print shop, with a replica printing press, to print a copy of the Constitution's Preamble, the same way it was originally done. They can also sign a commemorative 225th anniversary Constitution in Signers' Hall.