National Archives

The National Archives has identified three founding documents as the "Charters of Freedom": Declaration of Independence, United States Constitution, and Bill of Rights. According to the Archives, these documents "have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States."In a ddition, as the nation's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union has also gained acceptance as a founding document