One of Maryland’s greatest historical treasures, the state’s original 1788 parchment copy of the United States Constitution, will be displayed in a special, one-night-only appearance this Friday, September 16 at Washington College. It will be the first time in nearly a quarter-century that the document has been publicly exhibited anywhere.
The display, made possible by special arrangement with the Maryland State Archives, will be part of Washington College’s annual George Washington Book Prize Celebration, which this year honors author Pauline Maier, for her book Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788.
When the Maryland Ratification Convention voted to accept the new U.S. Constitution in 1788, sixty-three delegates marked the occasion by ceremonially signing their names to a large parchment copy.
“This extraordinary document is, in a sense, Maryland’s ‘birth certificate’ as a member of the new federal union,” said Edward C. Papenfuse, the Maryland State Archivist and Commissioner of Land Patents, who will personally escort the artifact to Chestertown. “Its last public appearance was in the State House rotunda during the bicentennial celebrations of 1987-88.”
Papenfuse will also bring to Chestertown other unique documents related to Maryland’s role in adopting the Constitution. These will include the minutes of the state convention’s debates, which were kept secret and whose existence emerged only in the late 20th century; they have never been publicly displayed. Also on display will be delegate William Paca’s manuscript proposing twenty-two amendments to the Constitution, which helped lay the groundwork for the federal Bill of Rights.
Hosted by the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience, the exhibition and Washington Prize celebration will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in Washington College’s Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts.
Pauline Maier will sign copies of her prize-winning book in the Underwood Lobby beginning at 4:00 p.m. Following at 5:00 p.m. in Decker Theatre is “Making History: A Conversation with Pauline Maier,” where Adam Goodheart, director of the Starr Center, will lead an interview and audience Q&A. The conversation will be followed by a reception. All events are free and open to the public, and the documents will be displayed in the lobby throughout the celebration.
Washington College co-sponsors the Washington Prize with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens.
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