The
Founding of a Nation - the United States of America
Research,
Reading, Writing, Presentation
Read
these articles from the National Constitution Website and answer the questions
to determine your topic for research.
THE
ACTUAL DOCUMENT
The National Constitution Center houses
this rare, original copy of the first public printing of the
Constitution, published in The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser,
on September 19, 1787, by John Dunlap and David Claypoole.
FIRST PUBLIC PRINTING OF THE CONSTITUTION
The National Constitution Center owns a
rare, original copy of the first public printing of the Constitution. The
original signed, handwritten Constitution is at the National Archives in
Washington, D.C.
On September 17, 1787, at what is now
known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the Constitution was signed by 39
delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Two days later, the document’s full
text was printed in a newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet and Daily
Advertiser. The Constitutional Convention was conducted under an oath of
secrecy, so this public printing represents the first time that Americans saw
the Constitution.
Article VII of the Constitution made it
clear that before the document could go into effect, it needed to be approved
by at least nine of the 13 states in a series of ratification conventions. As
James Madison explained in The Federalist No. 40, he and his fellow
delegates had “proposed a Constitution which is to be of no more consequence
than the paper on which it is written, unless it be stamped with the
approbation of those to whom it is addressed.”
The first public printing illuminates
the constitutional ideal of active citizenship. While the handwritten
Constitution inspires awe of the Founding Fathers and their brilliance, the
public printing reminds us that the Constitution can only thrive with the
engagement of “We the People.”
There are only about 25 known copies of
this printing in the world. Thanks to the generosity of the late Robert L.
McNeil Jr., who donated his copy on September 11, 2001, the Center owns one of
these rare original documents, which is displayed in an alcove adjacent to Signers’
Hall. Because of its rarity and age, this artifact must be taken off
display to rest periodically, and a high-resolution facsimile is on display.
SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
Who
Are These Men?
Delegates
hailing from all the original states except Rhode Island gathered in the
Pennsylvania State House in 1787 to participate in the Constitutional
Convention. Many of the delegates had fought in the American Revolution and
about three-fourths had served in Congress. The average age was 42.
The
delegates named George Washington presiding officer and spent four months, from
May to September, behind closed doors, hammering out the framework of a new,
more powerful national government. Of the 55 original delegates, only 41 were
present on September 17, 1787, to sign the proposed Constitution. Three of
those present (George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry
of Massachusetts) refused to sign what they considered a flawed document. An
ailing John Dickinson of Delaware was unable to attend the Convention’s final
session but had fellow delegate George Read sign his name in absence, for a
total of 39 signers.
The
delegate biographies are excerpted with the generous permission of Carol
Berkin, author of A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution
(Harcourt). Copyright © 2002 by Carol Berkin.
The
bronze statue portraits [featured on these pages] are based on the National
Constitution Center Signers' Hall. This exhibit features life-size bronze statutes of
42 men: the 39 delegates who signed the Constitution on September 17, 1787, as
well as the three who refused.
Sources for determining your
research question
1.
Read the articles
above and look on the websites.
2.
Determine an
interest and formulate a question to research.
3.
Submit the
question for approval.
4.
Research your
topic, taking notes, citing sources and writing up a report.
5.
Revise, edit and
publish your report.
6.
Create a
presentation and deliver to the class.
