A cynical view on the Constitutional Convention…

December 3, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Perhaps it would not be a surprise that a British report on the beginning of the American Constitutional Convention would have a cynical slant, but this report seems to stretch the point. This observation appeared in the London “Gentleman’s Magazine” issue of July, 1787.

A real gem…

September 16, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

In the past we’ve taken several looks at one of the inherent pleasures of the rare newspaper collecting hobby – that of finding hidden (unexpected) gems within issues.  While unearthing such gems is nearly a daily occurrence for our staff, it is especially rewarding when we discover content of the significance as what we’ve shown below.  The December, 1787 issue of The American Museum contains, in addition to the printing of four Federalist Papers and the ratification of the Constitution by Pennsylvania and Delaware,  the full text of Benjamin Franklin’s final speech before the assembly on the last day of the Constitutional Convention.  Thanks to one of our members, this treasure is no longer “lost”.  As for the content… it speaks for itself.  Please enjoy the wisdom of Dr. Franklin:

An historical anecdote…

May 1, 2010 by · Leave a Comment 

The following item from the “Massachusetts Centinel” of Boston, August 29, 1787, is evidence of some timely humor when the country was awaiting the results of the Constitutional Convention.

Most historic: 1784 thru 1800…

January 20, 2009 by · Leave a Comment 

Continuing with our discussion on the “most historic” reports to be found in newspapers, we have been discussing the events of American history by era, the last being the 1801-1860 era. This post will discuss the most significant event in American history of the post-Revolutionary War, 18th century era from 1784 thru 1800.

Much happened in American history during this brief 17 year period but I’m not so sure there are many events which qualify as the “most historic”. From 1784 to 1787 much effort was made to organize the loosely attached colonies into a cohesive whole (see Articles of Confederation as an example), which ultimately led to the Constitutional Convention and the resultant Constitution which remains to this day. Through the ratification process it was evident that more rights needed to be clarified, resulting in the Bill of Rights of 1789. During this same year the first presidential election happened and the federal government was established, and in subsequent years a permanent site was created for the federal government, the Native Americans’ concerns were dealt with as the nation crew beyond the original 13 states, The Whiskey Rebellion challenged the collection of federal taxes, Jay’s Treaty with England was consummated, and growing troubles with France & other nations put greater focus on formalizing a federal military. All these events and more played a role in molding America during these critical formative years.

The Constitution of the United States of America

The Constitution of the United States of America

But the most historic? My vote has to go with the creation of the Constitution. And a newspaper with the printing of this document would be a very prized addition to any collection.

What is your thought?