Opening the Vault

An extraordinary collection of rare and historic documents from the National Archives as part of the “Opening the Vault at the Presidential Libraries” series.

September 9, 2026 - October 14, 2026

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Included with Museum admission

Deed of Gift for the Statue of Liberty This item provides information on the presentation and acceptance of the Statue of Liberty as a gift from the French People. This item was enclosed in a dispatch from Levi P. Morton, United States Minister of France, July 5, 1884. Produced: July 4, 1884 Collected Manuscripts and Papers ca. 1789-1918 Record Group 59 General Records of the Department of State 1763-2002 NAID: 595444
Deed of Gift for the Statue of Liberty, 1884. NAID: 595444

History is coming out of the vault.

For a very limited time, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum will open the doors to an extraordinary collection of rare and historic documents from the National Archives and Records Administration as part of the “Opening the Vault at the Presidential Libraries” series.

These aren’t reproductions or textbook illustrations. They are the original documents that helped shape the American story.

Visitors will have the rare opportunity to see firsthand extraordinary pieces of our nation’s history, including:

  • The Louisiana Purchase
  • The Bill of Rights — Senate Revisions
  • The 14th Amendment Draft
  • The 1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act
  • The 1820 Missouri Compromise
  • The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
  • The Treaty of Paris Broadside
  • The Alien and Sedition Acts
  • The Statue of Liberty Deed of Gift
  • The Treasury Warrant for the Purchase of Alaska
  • The Judgment in Plessy v. Ferguson
  • Dred Scott v. John Sandford
  • The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education

A convention between the United States of America and the French Republic concerning debts owed by France to citizens of the United States
The Louisiana Purchase. NAID: 306464

From the expansion of the United States to the ongoing struggle to define freedom, equality and citizenship, these documents offer a remarkable window into the decisions, debates and turning points that shaped the nation. 

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see American history up close. Once these documents return to the vault, they’re gone!