National Treasure

Title: “The Secret Lies in the Declaration”: Archives, Access, and the Performance of American History in National Treasure Thesis Statement: While dismissed as a simple action-adventure film, National Treasure functions as a sophisticated cultural artifact that negotiates late-capitalist anxieties about historical authenticity. Through its depiction of restricted archives (the National Archives, the Library of Congress, Trinity Church), the film argues that true “national treasure” is not gold but access to suppressed narratives. Ultimately, the film’s hero, Ben Gates, enacts a democratic, if illegal, model of historiography that challenges institutional gatekeeping and repositions historical research as a thrilling, populist act of citizenship.

I. Introduction: The Paradox of the Popcorn Flick

Hook: The film’s opening scene – “People don’t talk that way anymore” – establishes nostalgia as a driving force. Problem: Why analyze a mainstream Disney film? Because popular cinema is a primary site where national identity is rehearsed and contested. Roadmap: Historical epistemology (how do we know the past?), archive theory, the figure of the amateur historian, and the film’s post-9/11 context (trust in institutions vs. individual heroism).

II. The Archive as Obstacle Course

Key scenes: The theft of the Declaration of Independence from the National Archives; the break-in at the Library of Congress’s “map room”; the secret chamber beneath Trinity Church. Argument: Each location represents a different type of restricted knowledge.

National Archives: Bureaucratic, public-facing but heavily surveilled. Ben’s theft is a critique of the museum as a mausoleum. Library of Congress: Technical, librarian-guarded (the antagonistic Dr. Chase). Represents academic gatekeeping. Trinity Church: Private, religious, underground. History hidden beneath institutional feet.

Theory: Michel Foucault’s Archaeology of Knowledge – archives as systems of power that determine what can be said. Ben Gates circumvents these systems. National Treasure

III. The Amateur vs. The Professional Historian

Character dynamics:

Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage): “Amateur” (from Latin amare – to love). His passion is uncredentialed. He uses puzzles, intuition, and physical courage. Dr. Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger): The professional archivist. Initially by-the-book, she eventually joins Ben, representing the synthesis of institutional care and adventurous inquiry. Ian Howe (Sean Bean): The mercenary historian. He seeks treasure for profit and glory – the capitalist perversion of history. Title: “The Secret Lies in the Declaration”: Archives,

Argument: The film valorizes the citizen-historian . Ben’s ancestors have been passing down the secret for generations – a form of oral, familial counter-archive.

IV. The Declaration of Independence as a Fetish Object