Tourist for a Weekend

This past weekend, my sister and her friend came to visit me here in Washington, giving me the chance to be a tourist for a couple days.  Before her arrival, we had tried to create an itinerary of everything she wanted to see and experience in Washington.  After much discussion and planning, she had narrowed it down to every museum and monument in our nation’s capital. 

We began our weekend of sightseeing on Saturday morning.  After visiting countless museums and monuments, one stop really caught my attention, the National Archives.  My parents claim I have visited the Archives before, though I don’t remember any such visit.  Regardless, the trip this past weekend was a great experience.

After clearing security at the Archives, the three of us were ushered into a maze of a line in front of the lobby which contains the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  From there they lined us up at the steps of the lobby entrance with groups of twenty or thirty entering the rotunda every few minutes to view the documents.  After being herded around like cattle, I was not in the best of moods, but having an opportunity to see those remarkable documents was certainly worth the wait.

As I tried to make out the writing on the aged papers, I began to see the connections between all the political science literature I had read and the founding principles of our nation.  During partisan times like the present, we often lose sight of the ideals that provide the base of American politics and government.  Topics that had been discussed in class such as the role of the legislature and judiciary, I was now able to better understand after seeing the original documentation of their purpose.  The visit to the Archives changed my perspective slightly toward politics.  As politicians bicker over left or right ideals, it helps to be reminded of the real reasons for this country’s foundation and governmental structure.

- Eric Nash