WASHINGTON — As the country celebrates its 250th birthday, Americans are reflecting on what the Declaration of Independence means to them. And for those visiting the Library of Congress over the next several months, they will be able to get a rare look at a draft of our founding document up close.

It’s one of the Library’s most treasured items: Thomas Jefferson’s “original rough draft” of the Declaration of Independence. In the margins are edits suggested by Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. Rarely seen by the public, the document will now be on display through July 3, 2027.

The draft is the backbone of “The Declaration’s Promise: A Revolutionary Idea,” the Library of Congress’ new exhibit celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

“The Declaration is always kind of this document we can fall back on not only for inspiration but also for almost a prism to judge, well, where are we, and where should we be,” explained Ryan Reft, a historian at the Library of Congress.

Planning for the exhibit began over two years ago, and curator Sara Duke says it was decided upon “almost immediately that we were going to use the words of the Declaration as the conceit to divide the space.” 

Key phrases from the document — including “created equal” and “pursuit of happiness” — are spread throughout the exhibit, with items reflecting those ideals from the first bible ever published in the United States, Walt Whitman’s pen and a first-edition copy of his “Leaves of Grass,” along with sheet music from Hamilton.

The exhibit sheds light on the highest points of American history without overlooking the struggles to preserve America’s ideals.

“The Declaration is a living document. Americans cared so much that they quoted from it constantly,” explained Duke. “Women quoted from it when they wanted equal rights. African Americans quoted from it when they wanted abolition from slavery.”  

That fight to preserve the country’s founding principles is perhaps most evident in President Abraham Lincoln’s handwritten Gettysburg Address.

“When he makes that speech at Gettysburg, which is one of the seminal moments in US history, it’s really this great opportunity to think about what Americans think about in terms of the declaration, but also in a moment of rupture — how do you put it back together?” said Reft. “He put it back together by going back to the source, the very first thing that created this country.”

That address was a turning point for the Civil War and the nation, and Reft said he believes that call back to the Declaration of Independence remains relevant today.

“We are a country based on a creedal notion of belonging, not one on ethnicity or class or monarchy, and I think sometimes that’s taken for granted,” he said. “I think that the Declaration reminds us always that you should not take that for granted, because it’s not an automatic – [it] has to be fought for, and it has to be delivered, and it is our job to keep delivering that. It’s not politicians’ jobs, it’s our job as a people.”

If you can't make it to the Library of Congress in person, you can also explore the exhibit virtually.

Spectrum News producer Melody Kloepfer contributed to this report.