Charters of Freedom officially dedicated at Carson City Courthouse
Submitted by Brett Fisher on Thu, 06/14/2018 - 12:56pm
Charters of Freedom Carson City, a permanent installation displaying bronze-plated replicas of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, was dedicated Thursday afternoon on the Carson City Courthouse plaza, 885 East Musser Street in Carson City.
In attendance were community dignitaries and residents who were present to bear witness to the display dedication. Among them were Carson City Mayor Bob Crowell and First Judicial District Court Judge James T. Russell, both of whom expressed gratitude to Foundation Forward for the placement of the display.
"We'd like to thank the Charters of Freedom folks for choosing the Carson City Courthouse for the placement of this monument here," Russell said. "It is a wonderful addition to this plaza."
The judge said the Charters of Freedom are just as relevant now as when they were first drafted more than two centuries earlier.
"The documents displayed here are as important today as when they were adopted," he said. "People can argue about their interpretation and meaning, but they cannot existence and their application to the citizens of the United States. They are that important."
Mayor Crowell shared Russell's sentiment, adding that the display serves as a reminder of fundamental human rights.
"On behalf of our community of Carson City, we thank you very much," Crowell said while accepting the dedication plaque from Foundation Forward founders Vance and Mary Jo Patterson. "This is truly an impress exhibit and it brings back a lot of memories of how fortunate we are to live in a country dedicated to the rule of law, where dignity and life, liberty and happiness are enshrined as human rights."
The Charters of Freedom Carson City installation cost about $75,000 and is paid for entirely by private funds. Constructed of more than 19 tons of reinforced concrete, four tons of granite, six 60-pound bronze plates as well as polycarbonate hammer glass, the display was designed to stand the tests of time, said Foundation Forward co-founder Vance Patterson.
"People ask why we are doing this and I tell them, yes, it's very expensive, but it's about more important than money," he said. "We believe it gives us a direct link to our founding fathers by helping to preserve what it is they gave this country — a government to serve and protect we the people."
Patterson said the Charters of Freedom Carson City is Foundation Forward's 14th installation nationwide and the first west of the Mississippi River. He said Carson City's display is also only the second in a state capital.
The purpose of the installations, he said, is to educate people about how the United States government works and how it benefits them.
"From the beginning this has been about education," Patterson said. "Our Founding Fathers believed that in order to have a free and independent society, you must understand how government works, that you cannot control what you do not understand."
Visit the Charters of Freedom Carson City project online for more information or to make a donation.
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