Disappearance of the Declaration
One of the founding documents of Ancient America, the Declaration of Independence has not been seen since the End of Earth, giving rise to many theories and legends regarding its fate and possible whereabouts in the modern day.
After the nation won its independence one copy, handwritten on a sheet of parchment, became lodged in the public consciousness as the Declaration which became the subject of modern myths. Bearing the signatures of many Founding Fathers, some of whom went on to become legendary heroes of American history, it was put intermittently on public display.
With the rise of the American Federation in the Second Interstellar Period came a renewed interest in classical American history, and the possible fate of the Declaration and other artifacts began to be investigated. When searches of archives came up empty, some postulated the Declaration never made it off Earth, becoming abandoned on some ancient military base or building in the American capital city, which as a consequence of global heating was now sunken under tens of meters of ocean, or that it was indeed successfully transported to an American colony only to become lost. The latter possibility is considered unlikely by modern historians since there are few places it could be hiding—most Americanist worlds have twice seen their populations reach into the billions, first during the Second Interstellar Period and then as civilization rebuilt after the Age of Strife, meaning if this hypothesis is true it should have either been found by now or was destroyed by war.
The Declaration could be on Eisenhower, a Refuge World which remains isolated, but this is also unlikely since the planet was part of the American Federation. There is also a semi-mythical Refuge World known as Yosemite, which was never recontacted after the End of Earth and still has yet to be found, but most historians dismiss it as a fabrication to throw off Ancient America's enemies.
Efforts to find it on Terra have also turned up empty, the human ruins covering North Merika have been picked over extensively by toren scavengers who have found many other Ancient American artifacts but never the Declaration. Searches of the ruined capital, Drowned Deecee, are hampered by the even worse conditions of the underwater ruins.
Most modern historians suspect the Declaration, like so many other artifacts over the centuries and millennia, is simply gone for good, likely left behind where it was destroyed by war or flooding in the capital, or taken to a colony and then lost during the harsh times following the End of Earth. It still remains possible, however, that an enterprising toren scavenger lad will discover it in some long-forgotten bunker or a archivist will locate a hidden cache, and conspiracy theories have constantly circulated alleging various big names in American space, such as the Barclay brothers, keep it secret in their private collections. But in general, many people wonder if it isn't long past the time to abandon the search as fruitless and focus on the American way as it is now, not as it was long ago.
The Declaration
The Declaration of Independence was a statement issued by the Founding Fathers of Ancient America to declare their rebellion against George the Third, king of Ing Land (a nation in the Britic Isles of Yurop, from which many American colonists had came). They cited several reasons for their revolt, among them the famous Americanist slogan "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness", and a war was born.After the nation won its independence one copy, handwritten on a sheet of parchment, became lodged in the public consciousness as the Declaration which became the subject of modern myths. Bearing the signatures of many Founding Fathers, some of whom went on to become legendary heroes of American history, it was put intermittently on public display.
Disappearance
Prior to the End of Earth the Ancient American government had instituted continuity programs at various levels of secrecy, such as its colonization of the American Refuge Worlds. One such program was the preservation of artifacts and information significant to the country's cultural heritage. The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence were known to have been included in this effort, but it is here that the Declaration vanishes from historical record.With the rise of the American Federation in the Second Interstellar Period came a renewed interest in classical American history, and the possible fate of the Declaration and other artifacts began to be investigated. When searches of archives came up empty, some postulated the Declaration never made it off Earth, becoming abandoned on some ancient military base or building in the American capital city, which as a consequence of global heating was now sunken under tens of meters of ocean, or that it was indeed successfully transported to an American colony only to become lost. The latter possibility is considered unlikely by modern historians since there are few places it could be hiding—most Americanist worlds have twice seen their populations reach into the billions, first during the Second Interstellar Period and then as civilization rebuilt after the Age of Strife, meaning if this hypothesis is true it should have either been found by now or was destroyed by war.
The Declaration could be on Eisenhower, a Refuge World which remains isolated, but this is also unlikely since the planet was part of the American Federation. There is also a semi-mythical Refuge World known as Yosemite, which was never recontacted after the End of Earth and still has yet to be found, but most historians dismiss it as a fabrication to throw off Ancient America's enemies.
Efforts to find it on Terra have also turned up empty, the human ruins covering North Merika have been picked over extensively by toren scavengers who have found many other Ancient American artifacts but never the Declaration. Searches of the ruined capital, Drowned Deecee, are hampered by the even worse conditions of the underwater ruins.
Most modern historians suspect the Declaration, like so many other artifacts over the centuries and millennia, is simply gone for good, likely left behind where it was destroyed by war or flooding in the capital, or taken to a colony and then lost during the harsh times following the End of Earth. It still remains possible, however, that an enterprising toren scavenger lad will discover it in some long-forgotten bunker or a archivist will locate a hidden cache, and conspiracy theories have constantly circulated alleging various big names in American space, such as the Barclay brothers, keep it secret in their private collections. But in general, many people wonder if it isn't long past the time to abandon the search as fruitless and focus on the American way as it is now, not as it was long ago.
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