National Archives

The National Archives is a pre-war building that houses an agency that was charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records. The building is relatively undamaged, but the documents and records have mostly been destroyed or ruined. It has also become home to a patrol of super mutants, centaurs and robots, some of which have personalities. The patrol of Super Mutants have placed many traps around to keep out unwanted visitors.

It also houses the Declaration of Independence, the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence is in a small room behind a robot who claims to be the second signer of the Declaration.

Location
The National Archives are in the northeast part of The Mall. It's east of Museum of History and north of Museum of Technology (and their corresponding Museum Station exits), across the Mall battlefield.
 * It's very close to the Penn. Ave/The Mall Metro station, if you are coming from Pennsylvania Avenue.

The Building
In the first room of the building, there is a computer mounted on the wall named "National Archives Guess and Win!" with a trivia game with questions related to American history. Answering all 8 questions correctly gives the player an Archives Prize Voucher, which can be redeemed at the Prize Redemption Terminal next to the trivia terminal. The player may choose between 3 different flavored Mentats: Glamorously Grape, Brilliantly Berry, and Observantly Orange. Answering a question incorrectly will reset all questions, but the player can reattempt them with no apparent penalty. The correct answers, in order, are "The Second Continental Congress," "Thirteen," "John Hancock," "56," "Ratification," "King George III," "Happiness," and "Thomas Jefferson." There are also 6 vouchers in a locked safe in the archives administrators office.

Sydney is located in the rotunda protected from all sides by mines. She yells at you to come help her fight off the mutants and to avoid the mines. When you reach her location, a squad of Super Mutants spawn outside the door and start attacking. When you finish off the first squad another tougher squad of Super Mutant Brutes will appear with either a Minigun or Missile Launcher.

After fighting off the mutants, you may be able to join up with Sydney to find the Declaration of Independence. She will then open up a secret elevator shaft that allows you to skip a section filled with Super Mutants. (If you get the Declaration of Independence without her, she will disappear and you will not be able to purchase items from her in Underworld. If you don't want her getting in the way while you clear it of enemies, make sure you talk to her before you enter the Archival Stronghold.)

Traps
In the Ladies restroom on the ground floor, a burned corpse is face-down in a toilet with a battery and wires attached to it, apparently electrocuted. If you attempt to activate the toilet, the character will be electrocuted and take 25 points of damage. You may retrieve 35 Microfusion Cells without taking any harm if your repair skill is 20 or higher.

In the Room with the door to the Archival Strongroom, there is a Terminal that has been rigged with a grenade. It's very easy to see since the back is pried off, and there is an antenna sticking out of the top.

The National Archives

 * Duck and Cover! located in a corner in the NW room on the lower level of The National Archives, next to a cash register and two missiles. In the room with all the empty book shelves.
 * Four Pre-War Books in the middle of the same area as the Duck and Cover book. They are on the shelf that is leaning onto 3 others.
 * Six additional Archives Prize Vouchers located in an upstairs office to the east of the area you meet Sydney. They are in a safe.
 * One more Pre-War Book in this section. Needs verification.  (See Discussion for additional info). It is on the top shelf of nearly empty shelves in the SW room on the ground floor. One of the first rooms to the left just after entering the Archives from the front.  The shelves on the east wall just before the short stairwell up to 2 mutants overlooking a hole in the floor to your level.  There is a Nuka-cola machine on the other side along the north wall of the same room.

Archival Secure Wing East

 * The Bill of Rights inside a safe, located inside the first vault protected by two turrets to the west. It is protected by two average locked doors.
 * Lying, Congressional Style next to the safe with the Bill of Rights in it.
 * Magna Carta inside a second vault protected by two turrets to the East. It is behind one average locked door.

Archives Sub-Basement

 * Duck and Cover!, Metal Armor, Metal Helmet, Mini Nuke, and a Stealth Boy at the broken generator behind a Very Hard locked gate in the Sub-Basement. Located immediately before you enter the Archives Secure Wing East.
 * Sheet Music Book in the first room after you come down the stairs to the Sub-Basement. It is on the bottom shelf of a rack on the west wall.

Archival Strongroom

 * Declaration of Independence located behind Button Gwinnett. The door can only be unlocked from a computer terminal in the same room.
 * Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor located in the same room as the Declaration of Independence.
 * Button's Wig on a small desk in the same room as the eponymous robot.

Related Quests
Stealing Independence