Lorianne Updike Toler, lawyer and head of the Constitutional Sources Project in Pennsylvania, has found a rare early draft of the United States Constitution in the hand of James Wilson. It is a major historical and legal find at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
It appears the draft was written by Wilson in the summer of 1787. The handwriting appeared incomplete until the rest of the document was found among Wilson’s other papers. The document was entitled “The Continuation of the Scheme.”
This only the third such draft in Wilson’s hand. Wilson served with John Rutledge, Edmund Randolph, Nathaniel Gorham, and Oliver Ellsworth as a member of the important Committee of Detail, which refined the words of the Constitution.
For the full story, click here.
This is great. Saw this particular link posted on Twitter. Professor Turley, I took Torts from you!
I’m the current Executive Director for the organization Lorianne founded, ConSource. She’s an amazing Constitution teacher and budding scholar now at Oxford, and quite a visionary in her efforts to disrupt the field of source document digitization.
ConSource is small — 4 full-time and 4 part-time staff. We focus on using mass collaboration (mostly undergraduate and law students so far) to transcribe, proofread, and cross-reference documents from constitutional history. We also run programs to create source document-based lesson plans for all levels of education, and work with lawyers, judges, and librarians to help them research constitutional history.
To Byron and others who had a fun mini discussion here, we’re trying to make available the breadth of constitutional history, not just the text of a few documents here or there. That includes the Constitution’s philosophical underpinnings, including documents, ideas, and debates that have shaped not just Article I up through the Bill of Rights, but later Amendments as well.
Feel free to drop us a line with any questions or thoughts using the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of our site, http://www.consource.org.
Nice thread, no name calling just facts and humor.
AY
“But you also must not forget the Anabaptist/Mennonites that came here about the same time to survive.”
Anabaptists don’t go to interfaith church picnics because they freak out when its time to light the grill.
AY
If Lincoln is Mika Brzinski’s favorite founding father then we can Grant him that.
Thrilling!
Byron
“I wonder why scientists would work for a repressive regime?”
Tea and cake or death?
UberMitch
“The founders not concerned with Christmas? But but but… what about all the wailing about America being founded as “Christian Nation”? What about Bill O’Reilly’s “War on Christmas Campaign?” Why, its almost as if all of that is bullshit!”
I guess you are confusing a pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice with a Messianic Jew’s death, burial and resurrection. The Catholic Church is well know for its stand on adoption.
The Mormons are more realistic as it is said that Joseph Smith’s statue faces the bank with his back to the temple (Haven’t been to SLC since I was a kid-outside the airport-so I can’t provide reliable eyewitness testimony).
Amon Re
Did you intend this to use this in a derogatory sense or in the sense that they were follower of the pope whom celebrated Christmas? Hence, just a fact.
At the time that the settlers stole the vacant land from the Indians it was the quakers that came here for religious freedoms or to escape a certain death. But you also must not forget the Anabaptist/Mennonites that came here about the same time to survive.
Both have tolerant views of others religions though a large percentage of the folks coming here from England were Anglican or “Anti-Catholic” the founding fathers signing were about 49. I understand 28 WERE Church of England to Deist. I think 3 Catholics. Jefferson had his own Beliefs and wrote his own Bible. There is lots more but you get the gist.
AY
“It was not until after Christmas did the US begin to celebrate it. Thomas Nast helped commercial it.”
To be fair-Santa used to ask if you were Nast-y or Nice so he had to do something.
A lot of people don’t know this but the Constitution was originally going to be called “War-What Is It Good For?”.
Gyges
“I’d say that science and democracy (of some sort) tend to go hand in hand, but that one doesn’t require the other. The Constitution had very little to do with the discovery of pasteurization.”
But it does have a lot to do with the fact I can’t buy or sell unpasteurized milk.
Also-wouldn’t it be funny if HIS name was Crapper?
papaist=papist
Even worst than pagan they found christmas to be a papaist holiday
Kate:
But the German scientists worked quite fast. I think a couple slowed it down but not many. Werner Von Braun should have been shot, instead he helped us get to the moon.
I think a good many scientists don’t really care about philosophy or politics, they only care about what is in front of them at the moment.
Natan Sharansky comes to mind as one who understood the bankruptcy of totalitarian regimes and went to prison because of his opposition. If more scientists in the Soviet Union and Communist China had followed or would follow his model there might have been or currently might be less repression of average folks.
I find the above truths to be self evident.
So the 4 and a half score and 4 years before the founding father ……
My point is, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal holiday, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1870.
Byron, you wonder why scientists would work for a repressive regime. I can think of two quick reasons: (1) threats to the scientist’s personal safety, and (2) threats to the safety of those the scientist cares about, such as parents, children, spouse, siblings…
And your point is that you agree that the US was not founded upon the Christmas Holiday, unless my math is bad.
In 1870, Christmas was formally declared a United States Federal holiday, signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant.