Charters of Freedom permanently installed in Wasilla

WASILLA — The Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights of the United States of America were placed at Iditapark on Sept. 20, where they will live permanently.

Better known as the “Charters of Freedom,” the documents were displayed with a ceremony on Monday morning including Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The charters are the 37th placement across the United States by Foundation Forward Inc., used no taxpayer dollars to complete the installation and will stand as an educational display about the principles found inside the documents that the United States was founded on.

“Never has there been a time in recent memory that we need these documents more than ever to explain to everybody — not just our kids — but to remind all of us that our freedoms, our liberties, our rights, they’re all etched in stone. It’s not a result of some gift from a benevolent dictator. It’s not something that’s made up. It’s not happenstance. America was fortunate 245 plus years ago because we had probably the greatest collection of minds in the history of this world in one spot here in the colonies prior to the United States of America,” said Dunleavy. “The United States is going to continue to be the greatest country in the world as a result of those documents and how we live by their words and so I want to thank all of our veterans, all of our first responders, all of the individuals that believe this country is the greatest country in the world and all of the individuals that work hard to continue to make it that way.”

The ceremony unveiling the permanent display of the charters of freedom on Monday at the Iditapark in Wasilla is the first in Alaska, and was well attended by local elected officials. Displays presented by Foundation Forward already exist in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota and Virginia, and the goal of founder Vance Patterson is to display the documents in every county across the nation.

“Seeing something our founding fathers had actually penned, and then seeing their signatures – Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Rutledge, Wilson and the others, I just got goosebumps. And, then when we moved over and saw those first three words of The Constitution, We The People, I actually got a lump in my throat,” said Patterson. “Two of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, were big proponents of education. They believed that in order to have a free and independent country you must first understand how government works. That you cannot control what you do not understand.”

The Wasilla High School jazz band and marching band both performed, and the WHS Air Force JROTC presented the colors. The National Anthem was performed by the WHS choir and the 9th Army Brass Quintet. Wasilla City Councilman and Brigadier General and Brigade Commander of the 49th BDE of the Alaska State Defense Force Simon Brown II acted as the emcee for the ceremony on Monday.

“This is a great day for Wasilla and the state of Alaska,” said Brown II. “It is an honor to be part of such a momentous moment for the city of Wasilla. The charters of freedom mission is to teach and preserve American’s history and civics so we’ll know how our government is meant to serve and protect we the people.”

There will be future opportunities for donor plaques to be installed, as well as a time capsule that will not be opened until the 300th anniversary of the United States Constitution on September 17, 2087.

Wasilla Mayor Glenda Ledford watched the ceremony from home and hopes that the installment will be utilized as an educational tool for local students.

“I think it will have a huge impact… That is the Veterans Memorial Garden and behind it is the skatepark and the rest of the park so as kids are going to play and whatever, their curiosity is going to get the best of them and they’re going to stop and look at that and they’re going to have a conversation — I hope — and I hope our school district will take a huge advantage of this,” said Ledford. “My head swelled about four times just because I was so, so proud because we forget just how patriotic we really are. Look at our Veterans Wall, look at everything that we do to honor our veterans and by having this where it’s located, it not only honors our veterans but all of the people that have come before us. It’s a legacy from 1776 forward so to me it’s just, I can not find the words to tell you how special this is to me.”