Two Hundred Thirty-Seven Years Ago Signing of the U.S. Constitution
Two hundred thirty-seven years ago on September 17, 1787, the 42 delegates of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia signed the final handwritten draft of the U. S. Constitution. George Washington, president of the Constitutional Convention, signed first, followed by delegates in congressional voting order. Then the convention was adjourned, and printed copies of the document would be sent to the 13 states for ratification. [1]
Bells in Philadelphia (including the Liberty Bell) were rung at 4 o’clock to announce the signing of the constitution. The Liberty Bell had also rung on July 8, 1776, when the bell had rung to summon citizens to the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence when it had come from the printer. [2]
Constitution Week is September 17 through 23, an official observance signed into effect by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.[1] The Henry County Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Windsor, will celebrate Constitution Week by posting flyers in schools, library, and the Windsor Historical Museum. The DAR will also distribute constitution booklets in fifth grade classes and high school history and government classes in Calhoun, Green Ridge, Leeton, Lincoln, and Windsor.
Whereas Fourth of July or Independence Day is widely celebrated, Constitution Day or Constitution Week gets little public attention other than recognition from DAR and other patriotic organizations. So why celebrate the U.S. Constitution? The two documents had different purposes. The Declaration of Independence stated that the colonies were independent of England and included a list of grievances against the king of England, while the U.S. Constitution established our form of national government, the rules of governance with checks and balances of power.[1]
Recently on September 6, 2024, there was news about a newly discovered original copy of the U.S. Constitution found in an old filing cabinet in North Carolina. The copy was determined to be one of 100 copies printed and signed by Charles Thomson, the secretary of the Constitutional Convention, and sent to the 13 states to ratify after the Constitutional Convention had approved the handwritten constitution. [3]
This document was printed whereas the document signed by the Constitutional Convention delegates was handwritten. Only eight copies of this printed constitution document are known to exist. This recently found copy is privately owned and is listed for a public auction in Asheville, North Carolina on September 28 with a minimum bid of $1 million.
Two years ago, this rare copy was found when an unused room piled high with old furniture was being cleared out in Edenton, North Carolina on property that had once been owned by Samuel Johnston. Johnston had served as governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1798, and he oversaw the state convention that ratified the U.S. Constitution. [3]
The constitution copy found in Edenton, NC was one broad sheet with four pages that could be folded like a book, a document used by the ratifying convention in North Carolina. Found in the metal cabinet along with the constitution document was a letter written by George Washington advocating that the state ratify the constitution. Because of its rarity and its importance, the value of this copy of the U.S. Constitution is difficult to determine. [3]
Benjamin Franklin said on the closing of the Constitutional Convention in 1787: “I agree to this Constitution with all its faults, if they are such, because I think a central government is necessary for us…I doubt too whether any other Convention we can obtain may be able to make a better Constitution.”[4] Over the past 237 years, many changes have been made to the Constitution, but the U.S. Constitution remains as the longest active constitution of any country in the world. Our U.S. Constitution is priceless!
Sources: [1] “Drafting and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution,” Wikipedia.Org. [2] “Liberty Bell…,” History.Com. [3] WBTW-TV News, Myrtle Beach, Sept. 7, 2024. [4] “The United States Constitution,” Library of Congress.
