National Treasure

John Adams Gates: OK, here we go. It was 1832, on a night much like this. Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of a secret society known as the Masons, and... he knew he was dying. He woke up his stable boy in the middle of the night and ordered him to take him to the White House to see Andrew Jackson because it was very urgent that he speak to the President. Young Ben Gates: Did he talk to him? John Adams Gates: No. He never got the chance. The President wasn't there that night, but Charles Carroll had a secret. So he took into his confidence the one person he could: my grandfather's grandfather, Thomas Gates. Young Ben Gates: What was his secret? John Adams Gates: A treasure! A treasure beyond all imagining. A treasure that had been fought over for centuries by tyrants, pharaohs, emperors, warlords. And every time it changed hands, it grew larger. And then, suddenly, [snaps his fingers] it vanished. It didn't reappear

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0

Agent Sadusky: Just like that? Ben: Just like that. Agent Sadusky: You know that you've just handed me your biggest bargaining chip. Ben: The Declaration of Independence is not a bargaining chip. Not to me. Agent Sadusky: Have a seat. So what's your offer? Ben: Oh, how about a bribe? Say, ten billion dollars? Agent Sadusky: I take it you found the treasure. Ben: It's about five stories beneath your shoes. Agent Sadusky: Hm. You know, the Templars and the Freemasons believed the treasure was too great for any one man to have, not even a king. That's why they went to such great lengths to keep it hidden. Ben: That's right. The Founding Fathers believed the same thing about government. I figure their solution will work for the treasure, too. Agent Sadusky: Give it to the people. Ben: Divide it amongst the Smithsonian, the Louvre, the Cairo Museum... there's thousands of years of world history down there, and it belongs to the world, and everybody in it. Agent Sadusky: [Admiringly] You rea

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0

Ian: [about the Declaration of Independence] We could borrow it. Ben: Steal it? I don't think so. Ian: Look, Ben... I understand your bitterness. I really do. You've spent your entire life searching for this treasure, only to have the respected historical community treat you and your family with mockery and contempt. You should be able to rub this treasure in their arrogant faces, and I want you to have the chance to do that. Ben: How? Ian: We all have our areas of expertise. You don't think mine are limited to writing checks, do you? In another life, I've arranged several operations of questionable legality. Shaw: I'd take his word for it if I was you. Ian: So don't worry. I'll make all the arrangements. Ben: No! Ian: I could really use your help here. Ben: Ian, I'm not going to let you steal the Declaration of Independence. Ian: Alright. From this point on, all you're going to be is a hindrance. [signals Shaw to ready a gun to which Ben nervously laughs] Riley: Hey! Ben: What are you

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0

Abigail: You told my assistant that this was an urgent matter? Ben: Yes, ma'am. Well, I'm gonna get straight to the point. Someone's gonna steal the Declaration of Independence. Riley: It's true. Abigail: I think I'd better put you gentlemen in touch with the FBI... Ben: We've been to the FBI. Abigail: And...? Riley: They assured us that the Declaration cannot possibly be stolen. Abigail: They're right. Ben: My friend and I are less certain. However, if we were given the privilege of examining the document... [Abigail eyes him curiously] we would be able to tell you for certain if it were actually in any danger. Abigail: What do you think you're gonna find? Ben: We believe that there's an... encryption on the back. Abigail: An encryption, like a code? Ben: Yes, ma'am. Abigail: Of what? Ben: A... cartograph. Abigail: A map? Ben: Yes, ma'am. Abigail: A map of what? Ben: The location of... [clears throat] of hidden items, of historic and intrinsic value. Abigail: A treasure map? Riley: Th

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0

Riley: If it's any consolation, you have me convinced. Ben: It's not. Riley: I was thinking, what if we go public, plaster the story all over the Internet? It's not like we have our reputations to worry about. Although, I don't think that's exactly gonna scare Ian away. Ben: A hundred and eighty years of searching, and I'm three feet away. Of all the ideas that became the United States, there's a line here that's at the heart of all the others: "But when a long Train of Abuses and Usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object, evinces a Design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their Right, it is their Duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future Security." People don't talk that way anymore. Riley: Beautiful, huh? No idea what you just said. Ben: It means, if there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action. I'm gonna steal it. Riley: What? Ben: I'm gonna steal the Declaration of

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0

Riley: OK Ben. Pay attention. I've brought you to the Library of Congress. Why? Because it's the biggest library in the world. Over twenty million books, and they're all saying the same exact thing: listen to Riley. What we have here is an entire layout of the Archives: sort of builder's blueprints. We've got construction manuals, phone lines, water, and sewage. It's all right here. [Riley continues in voiceover as the camera moves around the archives] Now, when the Declaration is on display, it is surrounded by guards...and video monitors... and little families from Iowa... and little kids on their eighth-grade field trip. And underneath an inch of bulletproof glass is an army of sensors and heat monitors that will go off if someone gets too close with a high fever. Now, when it's not on display, it is lowered into a four-foot-thick concrete, steel-plated vault that happens to be equipped with an electronic combination lock and biometric access-denial systems. Ben: You know, Thomas Ed

National Treasure (film), CC BY-SA 4.0