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1778 Massachusetts Town Voting on the State Constitution, Drafted by John Adams, Oldest Functioning Written Constitution
1778 Massachusetts Town Voting on the State Constitution, Drafted by John Adams, Oldest Functioning Written Constitution
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Description:

Colonial Massachusetts
Cambridge, MA, May 20, 1778
1778 Massachusetts Town Voting on the State Constitution, Drafted by John Adams, Oldest Functioning Written Constitution
MDS

Colonial Massachusetts. Andrew Bordman (1743-1817). Manuscript Document Signed, "Andw: Bordman Town Clerk," 1p, on watermarked laid paper measuring 8.25" x 10", Cambridge, May 20, 1778. Endorsement and docketing at verso. Bordman's monogrammed red wax seal at top left. Flattened folds with very minor loss. Tiny scattered pinholes. Shadows of wax seal along lower left from being folded. Unevenly cut edges with a bit of curling at left edge. Toning and foxing. Else, near fine and boldly signed.

Town Clerk Andrew Bordman orders the constable of Cambridge to call a town meeting on May 25, 1778, at 3:00.

In full:

"Middlesex.
To Mr. Thaddeus Wyman Constable of the Town of Cambridge, Greeting -

In the Name of the Government & People of the State of the Massachusetts Bay. You are hereby required forthwith to warn all the male Inhabitants, on the South side of Charles River in said Town who are free & twenty one years of age, to assemble at the Town House in Cambridge, on Monday the 25th instant at 3 o'clock P.M.

1st - To consider a Constitution lately formed by the General Court of this State.
2d - To make choice of one Selectman.
3d - To choose one Assessor.

Hereof fail not & make return of this Warrant with your doings thereon, at or before the day & time above mentioned.

Dated at Cambridge the 20th day of May AD 1778.
By Order of the Selectman.
Andw: Bordman Town Clerk."

Endorsed at verso, in full: "Middlesex of Cambridge May 25 1778 By Vertue of the within Warrant and I have warned all the male Inhabitants South of Charles River that are free & twenty one years of age to Assemble at the time and Place appointed and for the Purpose within mentioned. [Signed:] Thaddeus Wyman Constable."

The 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, drafted by John Adams, is the world's oldest functioning written constitution. It served as a model for the United States Constitution, which was written in 1787 and became effective in 1789. [The Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution were approved in 1789 and became effective in 1791.] In turn, the United States Constitution has, particularly in the years since World War II, served as a model for the constitutions of many nations, including Germany, Japan, India, and South Africa. The United States Constitution has also influenced international agreements and charters, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1915, the President of the American Historical Association stated, "If I were called upon to select a single fact or enterprise which more nearly than any other single thing embraced the significance of the American Revolution...I should choose the formation of the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780..." The Massachusetts Constitution is among the oldest functioning written constitutions in continuous effect in the world, predated only by sections of the Constitution of San Marino and the Magna Carta. It was also the first constitution in history to be created by a convention called for that purpose, rather than by a legislative body. It has been amended 121 times as of 2022.

Of the eleven states that adopted constitutions during the Revolutionary period, Massachusetts, ratifying its document in 1780, was the last. The General Court had drafted a constitution which it presented to the towns in 1778, but they overwhelmingly rejected it for a variety of reasons, ranging from its lack of a bill of rights to its being written and presented for approval in dangerous times when many voters were away on military service. A few towns asserted that a constitution ought to be drafted by a convention specially chosen for that sole purpose, on the grounds that constitutional law should be superior to mere acts of legislation. Nearly everyone was agreed, even in 1778, that any constitution must have the approval of the people. Responding to these objections, Massachusetts perfected the modern constitutional convention and ratification procedure that has since been used almost exclusively in framing organic law in the United States.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 8.25" x 10"
  • Medium: MDS

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