S.S. Act voted among top 10 U.S. historical documents
Those of us who work at Social Security have always taken great pride in the fact that our programs touch the lives of millions of Americans each and every day. But we can now also be proud of the fact that just last month the Social Security Act was voted one of the top ten United States historical documents.
Nearly 40,000 Americans cast their votes as part of a national initiative titled, “The People’s Vote: 100 Documents that Shaped America.” The project was cosponsored by the National Archives, the USA Freedom Corps and private sector cosponsors. They invited Americans of all ages and backgrounds to vote for 10 of 100 milestone documents drawn mainly from the holdings of the
National Archives. The results of the vote were announced in a ceremony in the National Archives Rotunda on December 15. Of the 100 documents voted on, the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Constitutional Amendment giving women the right to vote were the only documents from the past century to make the top ten list.
The Top 10 Milestone Documents are:
• The Declaration of Independence (1776)
• The Constitution of the United States (1787)
• The Bill of Rights (1791)
• The Louisiana Purchase Treaty (1803)
• The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
• The 19th Amendment to the Constitution: Women’s Right to
Vote (1920)
• The 13th Amendment to the Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
• The Gettysburg Address (1863)
• The Civil Rights Act (1964)
• The Social Security Act (1935)
I think everyone would have to agree that this is a very impressive list.
In announcing the results of The People’s Vote, the Archivist of the United States, John Carlin, said, “No other project has invited Americans from all walks of life, all across the country, to voice their opinion on the documents that have shaped our history, culture and society today. Not only did it challenge voters to really think and learn about the 100 milestone documents, but it encouraged enthusiastic debate in homes, classrooms, workplaces, and online.”
If you would like to see the entire results of the vote and learn more about it, visit www.ourdocuments.gov.