Can you read cursive writing? The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration is looking for volunteers who have the “superpower” of reading the flowing form of handwriting.
The National Archives is known as the nation’s record keeper. It’s home to important documents like the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. The agency also stores hundreds of millions of other historical records.
Most of the oldest documents are written in cursive, or script. Some aren’t neatly written. The National Archives relies on thousands of volunteers, called citizen archivists, to read digital versions of historical documents. The volunteers then transcribe, or type, them into a database.
But finding people who can read cursive is harder than it once was. Cursive writing used to be taught in nearly every public school in the U.S., but now only about half the states require it.
Next year, America will turn 250 years old. To celebrate, the National Archives has gathered the records of more than 80,000 people who lived and fought during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Thanks to citizen archivists, the stories of these people will live on for future generations.