Why It Matters
Congress authorized two semiquincentennial time capsules for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, one of which remains without a burial date, according to a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report.
The Philadelphia capsule was buried July 4 at Independence National Historical Park, while the Congressional Time Capsule has been unveiled and displayed but specific burial plans have yet to be announced. Both capsules are scheduled to remain sealed for 250 years, with opening dates set for July 4, 2276.
The Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule Act, sponsored by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), became Public Law 119-79 on Feb. 18, authorizing the capsule and its burial in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. H.Con.Res. 109, sponsored by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27), passed both chambers and allowed Emancipation Hall to be used for the June 24 dedication ceremony at which the Congressional Time Capsule was unveiled.
The Big Picture
America's Time Capsule, built by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, contains submissions from each state, the District of Columbia and each territory, along with submissions from America 250 and its partner organizations, including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and the Supreme Court of the United States.
Public Law 119-79 specifies that the Congressional Time Capsule must include "a single, joint letter" from congressional leadership and any other items leadership jointly determines appropriate. The Architect of the Capitol issued a series of Dear Colleague letters about the capsule's contents, and a list of contributions from congressional delegations is available at the Capitol Visitor Center kiosk page. The law's content requirements place the responsibility for the capsule's final composition squarely with congressional leadership, meaning the capsule's historical record will reflect whatever joint decisions leaders make before burial.
Congress has used time capsules for at least two prior Declaration of Independence milestone anniversaries: the 1876 centennial and the 1976 bicentennial. A centennial safe, facilitated by Anna Deihm and formally closed by Congress in February 1879, was opened on Jan. 19, 1976, remaining sealed for approximately 97 years. The congressionally authorized American Revolution Bicentennial Administration created the National Bicentennial Time Capsule in 1976 as one of 56 capsules made by Reynolds Metals Company; it is stored by the National Archives and Records Administration and is scheduled to open July 4, 2075, after 99 years.
The Congressional Time Capsule extends that tradition, but with a longer intended seal period than either predecessor and a statutory framework that ties its contents directly to an act of Congress.
The Bottom Line
The Congressional Time Capsule's burial location is authorized as the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center under Public Law 119-79, but no burial date had been announced as of the report's Oct. 28 publication date. The absence of a scheduled burial date means congressional leadership retains an open decision on when to complete the process the law set in motion. Once buried, the capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 4, 2276, during the 244th Congress.
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