Search
The Rare & Early Newspapers Hobby
Receive the Newsletter
Buy Historic Newspapers
How does your state’s Constitution compare?
October 14, 2024 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
In simple terms, Constitutions are intended to be the framework which dictates how governments, institutions, and other various organizations are to function. They typically state both the rights of those whom they cover, along with the boundaries from which those in power must rule. They are not mere suggestions, and they nearly always make it VERY difficult to make modifications so as to prevent both the current winds of public opinion or over-reaching power-mongers to make changes to suite their own wants, desires, and opinions. However, as the U.S. Constitution, through the initial “Bill of Rights” and following Amendments clearly shows, revisions can be made. Of course, in doing so, the rules set forth within the constitution itself must be followed or the document itself means nothing.
When it comes to the very foundation of the U.S. – and dare I say its sustainability, no one can argue that the U.S. Constitution, along with its properly “agreed upon” amendments, is 2nd-to-none. In my opinion, each citizen should take personal ownership in becoming intimately familiar with its stated rights, privileges, and responsibilities granted to “We the People“, and the restrictions it places upon those who govern. While this plea will likely be met with general enthusiasm, sadly, doing so falls into the same bucket where “more exercise”, “eating better”, and a host of New Year’s resolutions are found. As the recently deceased philosopher David Crosby once said, “An ignorant [uniformed] populace is ripe for manipulation by despots [leaders who do not have their own best interests in mind]”.
Whew! Now I can step down from my soapbox and move on to the marginally related inspiration for the above rabbit trail.
State Constitutions
While most U.S. citizens still have a degree of familiarity with the Constitution which frames the Federal Government, thanks to recent events, many are just now becoming aware that the state in which they reside also has rock-sold guidelines from which they must function – i.e., their own constitution. I’ve always been fascinated by both the similarities and differences between my home state of Pennsylvania’s constitution and the U.S. Constitution, but I would guess I’m in a minority. Yet, “Knowlege is Power” – or at least a degree of protection. I was recently reminded of this as I came upon a pair of Nile’s Weekly Register’s from the 1820’s which printed the entire text of the newly ratified Constitution of Maine. Shown below are photos with portion of the text. When you think of the U.S. Constitution, does any of Maine’s sound familiar? Different? How about your own state’s constitution?
One of the opportunities/responsibilities we have as citizens at the national, state, and local levels, as dictated in both federal and state constitutions, is the right to vote. What a privilege! Yet, truth is, “We the People” have widely varied views of what we deem to be most important when it comes to those who govern us. While I am an advocate for open discourse in the face of diametrically opposed viewpoints, and can respect (and even care for) those who stand opposed to my own personal beliefs, my only hope as an American is that we all would continue to agree to live within the guidelines of the U.S. Constitution (and those of the state in which we each reside), and vote for leaders who will do the same – AND, when changes are warranted, will go through the prescribed channels for making modification.
Oops… I somehow stepped back up on my soapbox. Sorry about that. Well… not really. 🙂
Happy voting Oh, and in the meantime, why not have a little fun by pulling up your own state’s constitution and compare it to the one that rules us all (sorry for using a bit of Tolkeinese)?
The Founding Documents – the Bill of Rights edition…
July 12, 2024 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I recently read about a “man on the street survey” where people were asked to choose one of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights from a list of 4 options. The options were: The right to vote, the right to healthcare, the right to a public education and the right to trial by a jury of your peers. Sadly, most of those interviewed did not pick the correct one. Even worse, most picked either the right to healthcare or the right to a public education. I quickly sent a group text to my adult children and asked them the same question and then awaited their responses with a bit of trepidation. Thankfully, my concern was unfounded.
One of the reasons we at RareNewspapers.com love what we do is that we feel as if we are helping to keep the heart of our country alive by protecting authentic papers containing real-time (contemporary) reports regarding our founding documents such as the Bill of Rights. The portion shown below was printed in THE PENNSYLVANIA PACKET & DAILY ADVERTISER, Philadelphia (PA), October 6, 1789. Newspapers like these need to be cherished and their message intentionally disseminated to all generations so future surveys are a bit more encouraging. Thanks in advance.
Snapshot 1844 – Voter Fraud… “death by a thousand cuts…”
April 8, 2022 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
Political scientist Robert Dahl defines a free and fair election as one in which “coercion” is comparatively uncommon.
Did voter fraud occur in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election? Of course. To think otherwise would be naive. Some degree of fraud has likely occurred in most, if not all elections which involve an imperfect people. This may seem a bit jaded, but I’m actually encouraged by the degree to which most elections in America have been “free and fair”. Still, complaints regarding election fraud have been documented throughout our history. True? In some cases, yes. Enough to impact the final outcome? It’s hard to know.
One such cry came from Louisiana in 1844, and was recorded in the National Intelligencer dated Nov. 30, 1844 (originally printed in the New Orleans Bee). Truth be told, fraud cannot be stopped. However, for the sake of the confidence of the electorate (i.e., to preserve a free and fair election), every intention must be made to keep it to a minimum – while not inhibiting citizens from voting. Balancing both is no small task – but is worth our ongoing effort.
A Federal Government by Careful Design…
August 23, 2021 by LauraH · 2 Comments
Anyone who studies the founding of our country and has peeked beneath the surface of how our Founding Fathers structured the United States of America’s Federal Government, must stand in awe of the delicate intricacies and broad sweeping stabilities the Founders instituted to keep us balanced. As a lover of American History, I am delighted when I find individual examples of their well oiled machine at work… when I see branches of our government “gird their loins” and bravely step into the role they were given. Such an incident occurred on June 2, 1952 when the Supreme Court decided Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co vs. Sawyer, also commonly referred to as the Steel Seizure Case or the Youngstown Steel case.
“[This] was a landmark United States Supreme Court decision that limited the power of the President of the United States to seize private property. The case served as a check on the most far-reaching claims of executive power at the time and signaled the Court’s increased willingness to intervene in political questions.
In the midst of the Korean War, the United Steel Workers of America threatened a strike, for higher wages, against the major steel producers in the United States. As President Harry S. Truman believed that a strike of any length would cause severe dislocations for defense contractors, Truman seized control of steel production facilities, keeping the current operating management of the companies in place to run the plants under federal direction. Though the steelworkers supported the move, the steel companies launched a legal challenge to the seizure on the grounds that the president lacked the power to seize private property without express authorization from Congress. “ (Wikipedia)
I wonder if sometimes our Founders smile to each other and say, “I love it when a plan comes together”. Here at RareNewspapers,we have great issues covering Supreme Court decisions. I find they make for a fascinating read. May there always be brave warriors to take up the mantles our Founders designed.
They Put It In Print (1848)… “Lincoln that is, political gold, Illinois tea…”
September 25, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
A tremendous wag, hilarious, upright, a real gem… We recently uncovered the earliest “feature” article we’ve ever found regarding Abraham Lincoln – buried on the back page of the The Greensborough Patriot (NC) dated September 16, 1848. On the heels of gold having just been discovered in California, another golden-nugget was slowly becoming unearthed on the opposite side of the country – before the very eyes (and ears) of the nation. Although Lincoln was a relatively unknown senator from Illinois, a reporter heard him speak before The House and was impressed enough to take the time to record his observations. It appears this reporter, along with a host of others, would be drawn to the qualities which would set him apart from the pack, and would eventually propel him into the history books. How do we know? Back in 1848, they put it in print:
I can imagine, as articles such as this began to circulate, that the folks back in home in Illinois began to talk in Lincoln’s ear, and…
The first thing you know ol Abe’s politically extraordinaire,
Kinfolk said “Abe move away from there”.
Said “The Capitol” is the place you ought to be”
So they loaded him on a train and he moved to D.C.
The UNITED States would never be the same.
They Put It In Print (1862)… Slavery At The Capital…
July 10, 2020 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
We all have a tendency to view things through a lens of our own creation – and the internet and social media – both which customize our “news” to our liking, only help refine our “news” into that which reinforces our worldview. In the end, honest, open dialogue – once the fabric of our public discourse, is reduced to mere noise falling upon deadened ears. Truth is, all Republicans… all Democrats… all Libertarians… all those who disagree with our point of view are not uneducated, haters, bigots and/or evil. Republicans do not “own” patriotism, and Democrats do not possess the mantle of black-American advocacy. How do we know? Back in 1862, The New York Tribune dated March 14, 1862 put it in print:
They Put It In Print (1938)… Martin Niemöller…
May 28, 2019 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.” (Martin Niemöller)
The Christian Science Monitor for March 4, 1938 reports Reverend Martin Niemöller has been sent off to a Nazi concentration camp.
They Put It In Print… The Communist’s Oath from 1848…
May 14, 2019 by GuyHeilenman · 1 Comment
As we were searching through our issues from 1848 looking for early Gold Rush content, we discovered an interesting item in a August 8, 1848 Boston Evening Transcript with content related to Communism. With contemporary material related to early Communism hard to come by, it is nice the B.E.T. decided to put this in print:
They Put It In Print… FDR “packs” Supreme Court… In his own words…
April 12, 2019 by GuyHeilenman · Leave a Comment
The Springfield Union (MA), dated March 10, 1937, has the complete text of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat in which he defends his rationale for “packing” the Supreme Court. As we stand at the brink of perhaps yet another similar moment in American political history, it is timely to consider his thinking – in his own words, and thanks to the editors of The Springfield Union, they put it in print. Enjoy.
I’m New Here…Week Seven
March 29, 2019 by Stephanie Williams · Leave a Comment
- This week I decided to spend some of my hard-earned money on an old (& rare) publication. I’d already processed searches for sports figures and jazz singers and mobsters and indentured servants — so many interests that whizzed past me as I was busy with phone calls and emails and web orders. The only way I could think to appease my conscience about taking a pause to look around a little bit for myself was to become a customer. There is an entire collection —
shelves of bound volumes — of publications by women. I want to dig through and “see what’s what”, as my grandmother always said. But that would probably take more research time just orientating myself than I feel easy about spending. Still, that inclination narrowed the scope of this first quest a bit, and a search through notable dates in history led me to the NYC women’s suffrage march of 1912.
“THE REMARKABLE DEMONSTRATION IN NEW YORK LAST WEEK WHEN 15,000 WOMEN OF ALL STATIONS IN LIFE MARCHED THROUGH THE STREETS OF THE METROPOLIS TO EXPRESS THEIR DEMAND FOR THE VOTE”. The headline itself seems shocked by the occurrence, with subsequent captions numbering the onlookers at 500,000. It’s a grand photo spread highlighting the oldest, the youngest, and crediting 619 men with “heroically joining their womenfolk upon the march.” This is the purchase for me.
The Women’s Suffrage movement is just one of the stories for justice and equality well documented through historic publications. Whether an account of invention, discovery, narrative or relationship, these papers are jam-packed with the details of the human experience. Sometimes there is an encouraging perspective of what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown. One hundred years after the push began, the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. But, this week I also found an eyewitness account of mob riots in Baltimore — including casualty listings — from 1812. Evidently, much remains to be learned.
My selection (Harper’s Weekly, May 11, 1912) was on the very top shelf, stacked tightly and bound into a volume with Titanic events and many illustrations of William Taft. I chose an issue with a damaged front cover since I am not very interested in then Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee “…whose proposed amendment to the Constitution will limit the President’s tenure of office to one term of six years.”
The cover price of 10 cents doesn’t hold, but since the average age-expectancy has drastically increased as well, it’s a modest expenditure. Taking it home with me, opening it up, and dawdling over the columns as much as I like, seems an indulgent treat. I might even ask the shipping department if they will package it for me…