History of the Celebration of the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Constitution of the United States [1]

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HISTORY OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE

ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PROMULGATION OF THE

Constitution of

flje

United States.

EDITED BY

HAMPTON L CARSON, SECRETARY OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CENTENNIAL COMMISSION.

IN

TWO VOLUMES.

VOL.

I.

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS.

PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION, BY J.

B.

LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA. 1889.

LIBRARY Or CALJFQBWA DAVIS

PREFACE. THESE memorial volumes have been prepared by

direction of

the Constitutional Centennial Commission.

The

magnificent demonstration at Philadelphia on the I5th,

and iyth of September, 1887, showing alike the popular and the official allegiance, on the part of the States and of the 1

6th,

nation, to the great

Act of 1787, created a profound impression

upon the vast throngs of witnesses. any other occasion

in history

It

is

not

known

that

upon

a great and contented people have

united with their rulers in giving a like expression to their satisfaction with their ing, literature,

war, the in

this

government.

Industry, commerce, labor, learn-

religion, statesmanship, the arts of

official

and the private world,

all

and

display of affection

imposing

peace and of

happily participated

reverence

for

Charter which gives equal liberty and equal protection to

The

executive, the legislative,

were associated with the

like

lands,

both

all.

and the judiciary of the Union representation of the State gov-

ernments, in the perfect harmony of a

The presence

the

common

devotion.

of honored citizens and subjects of foreign

official

and

private,

added

to

the

interest

of

the

ceremonies.

The tion,

frequent expressions of delighted surprise and admira-

coming from

all

classes, justified the belief of the

Commis-

PREFACE.

vi

and incidents of the celebration

sion that the leading features

should be collected and preserved

was believed

that

.it

would be

another centennial commemoration

The

executive

undertaken the their labors.

and now

task,

in

They venture

who may hope same

the

Commission

of the

officers

memorial.

It

alike interesting to the people of

generation and to their posterity

this

a durable

in

hope that

historic city.

have

therefore

public the result of

offer to the

to

to celebrate

will

it

serve to excite

the interest of their fellow-citizens in the principles of our govin the hearts

ernment, as well as to perpetuate

men

the

memory

As an

of

its

auxiliary to

of our country-

noble founders. this

object,

and as a prelude

to

their

account of the ceremonies which belonged to the celebration, they have prepared a compact history of the

progress of the

American Colonies towards a general confederation, and of the imperfection of that perfect

first

constitution

act of union, which

A

necessary.

rendered a more

history of

the

formation

of our present Constitution follows, carefully derived from the authentic its

records of

framers

in

the

respect to

time,

and showing the meaning of

various

which are

clauses

still

the

subjects of debate.

Besides these notes upon the invaluable work of the founders of our government, they have lives of the

that their

men who took

prepared brief sketches of the

part in that

memorable convention,

memories may be preserved with

They acknowledge

their obligations to the patriotism

generosity of the citizens of Philadelphia, the

Commission

is

their work.

enabled

to

publish

and the

by whose aid alone these

commemorative

volumes, and desire particularly to express their grateful appre-

PREFACE. ciation

of the

invaluable

aid

vii

of Mr.

Frederick

D. Stone, the

accomplished librarian of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

The original

portraits of the fratners of the

and authentic sources, and

in

Constitution

all

are from

cases preference has

been given to those which have not been repeatedly engraved. Acknowledgment is due to Dr. Thomas Addis Emmet, of New

York

City, for the

The

most generous

Constitution

is

assistance.

produced from photographs taken directly

from the original document

in the

State Department at

Wash-

ington. In illustrating the civic

and

industrial display a selection has

been made from instantaneous photographs of the procession.

To

supply omissions, occasioned by insufficient light towards the

close of the day, individual exhibits have

been used as

far as

practicable.

Each State

participating in the military display

is

represented

by one or more regiments, or by grouping individual photographs of soldiers found.

and

Efforts

sentatives of

officers

where no other

were made

to secure

an

illustrations

could be

illustration of the repre-

North Carolina, but without success.

Memorial Day

is

illustrated

by a phototype from a painting

by Mr. H. R. Poor, of Philadelphia, from a number of photographs taken on the spot.

But few of the commissioners responded

to the request for

reports of the share taken by their States and Territories, and

such as were received could not be printed without constant repetition

of matter which appears in the History of the Constitutional

Centennial Commission, and the reports of

its

sub-committees.

CONTENTS OF VOLUME

I.

PAGES

HISTORY OF THE FORMATION OF THE CONSTITUTION AND OF THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO ITS

ADOPTION.

By John A, Kasson

I

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE MEMBERS OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION.

By Hampton L. Carson

135

THE CONSTITUTION OP THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

238

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

255

HISTORY OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

259

HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL CENTENNIAL COMMISSION.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION.

By Hampton L. Carson

By William

J. Latta

REPORT OF THE MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE VOLUNTEER MEDICAL CORPS. Cleborne,

.

331

By

C.

J.

M.D

338

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF RECEPTION OF GUESTS.

REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON Music.

By

William H, Staake

....

By William Henry Lex

SELECTIONS FROM THE CORRESPONDENCE OF THE COMMISSION

THE

261

355 398.

401

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE FRAMING OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES BY A FRENCH SPECTATOR.

By L.

Vossion

447

OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME

LIST

George Washington

The

....

Capitol at Washington

....

Independence Hall (Exterior)

Independence Hall (Interior)

" .

.

" .

.

"

Nicholas Oilman Nathaniel

Facing

"

John Langdon

"

Gorham

Rufus King

"

William Samuel Johnson

"

Roger Sherman

"

Alexander Hamilton

"

William Livingston

"

Benjamin Franklin

Thomas

Jenifer

...

"

Blair

John

146

James Madison

"

147

William Blount

"

148

Richard Dobbs Spaight

"

149

Williamson

"

Hugh

"

Pierce Butler

"

"

160

William

Few

"

"

162

Abraham Baldwin

"

William Jackson

"

Gouverneur Morris George Read

" " "

165

166

Elbridge Gerry

...

"

"

Edmund Randolph

"

George Mason

"

Caleb Strong

"

Oliver Ellsworth

"

John Francis Mercer

"

178

Luther Martin

"

179

George Wythe

168

170 171

173

176

184 185

187

188

144

158

"

John Dickinson

St.

155

James Wilson

Jr

136

Daniel Carroll

"

"

Gunning Bedford,

Daniel of

Charles Pinckney

"

Jared Ingersoll

Thomas

135

"

152

"

George Clymer

"

James McHenry

Charles Cotesworth Pinckney

"

Robert Morris

Facing 182

John Rutledge

"

Mifflin

I

150

William Paterson Jonathan Dayton

Richard Bassett

Frontispiece.

I.

189 193

194 195

196

199

202 203 205

206 207

209 211

214 215

219 223 225

227

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TO VOLUME

XII

Facing 228

James McClurg

"

Alexander Martin ,

William Richardson Davie

....

"

"

John Lansing, Jr

Portraits of

Patrick

A. Loudon Snowden,

231

Samuel Dickson,

234

R. C. McMurlrie,

"

Hall of the Carpenters' Portraits of tive

Members of

Company

.

"

238

C.

264

Portraits of

Wm.

:

L. Carson,

Chairmen of Sub-Committees

Henry Lex, Facing 305

J. Latta,

Portraits of

Facing 278

Jas.

Chairmen of Sub-Committees

Edwin H.

Joel J. Daily,

Jesse E. Peyton,

Fac-simile of the Card of Invita-

:

A. Beaver,

Thomas Cochran,

tion

:

Theodore E. Wiedersheim,

R. Little,

Hampton

304

Cleborne,

John F. Hartranft,

John A. Kasson,

Amos

J.

Wm.

the Execu-

Commission

Facing

Clinton P. Paine,

265

Committee of the Constitu-

tional Centennial

:

Thomas M. Thompson, "

Henry

Chairmen of Sub-Committees

230

Fac-simile of the Constitution of the

United States

/.

Filler,

Facing

306

John Bardsley, Facing 302

John E. Reybum,

Plan of Stations on the Route of the Industrial and Military Parades

Plan of Dressing Stations at the City Hall Plan of Dressing Stations at Independence Square

Facing