By Sandra Dibble
Union-Tribune Staff Writer

DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO – Some snapped photos, others leaned over in silence, and a few even verged on tears.

On a day of parades, picnics and fireworks celebrating the nation's birthday, dozens quietly waited yesterday morning for a glance at the document that started it all on July 4, 1776: the Declaration of Independence.

“I gave my life to it,” said Robert R. Darron of Ramona, 77, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel who served in Korea and Vietnam.

Harrison Ark, 8, of El Cajon, had a different perspective: “It's very, very long.”

Darron and Harrison were among a broad cross-section of Americans lining up at the USS Midway Museum yesterday morning to view a rare copy of the 232-year-old declaration, sometimes referred to as the nation's birth certificate.

By day's end, more than 3,000 people viewed the document inside a forensically sealed, wood-and-glass case filled with nitrous gas.

Those who came to view the declaration were a study in diversity: a gay Gulf War medic living in Alpine with his partner; a Korean War veteran from Michigan and his two sons; a retired second-grade teacher from Holtville; and two Chinese engineers living in San Diego with their 3-year-old U.S.-born son.

Some mouthed the declaration's famous words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,” and found patriotic inspiration.

“We're starting to realize its promise,” said Kathena Richardson, 35, a chief petty officer select with the Navy, referring to the fact that a woman and African-American were the two main contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination.

For others, the words stood as a reminder that the nation has fallen short of the declaration's promise.

“I don't feel equal to a man in this country,” said Jean Burke, 30, a mother of two from Carlsbad. “I don't think blacks will ever feel completely equal.”

The single-page document on display was one of 200 printed in July 1776 on cream-colored, cotton-based parchment, with an ink made of wine and ash. It was found folded behind a painting purchased in 1989 at a flea market for $4.

Hollywood producer Norman Lear eventually co-purchased it for $8 million. It's one of 25 remaining original copies, and the only one to go on tour.

By displaying the declaration, Lear aims to stimulate civic involvement. He pairs the display with his nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign, Declare Yourself, which encourages youths to register to vote.

“It's a document that on the Fourth especially resonates with people,” said Marc Morgenstern, executive director of Declare Yourself. “When people are really moved by seeing the document, they ask themselves, 'How can I participate in the future of our country?' ”

The traveling exhibit, in San Diego for two days, is on display today at The New Children's Museum in downtown San Diego. The display includes a 12-minute video featuring actors reading the declaration, and a booth to register new voters.