Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-04-16
JFrom the North American Review.l
MATERIALS FoR AMERICAN HIS TUX

MATERIALS FOR hMCNiS-ni> ''A
Itmay not be out Of place here to correct
prevalent error, respecting the tirst written o1n'
sfifution in this country. 1t has been generaiiy
,nnnosed. that the constitution of Virginia was
,he frat. and in Mr.. Jeferson's letter to MAJOR
Cartwright, lately published in the biographical
n.moir of that veteran friend OF liberty, he
writes. Virginia was not only tie first OF the
states. bu, believe / may say the first OF the
nations of the earth, which assembled It's wise
men peaceably together TO form aconstituuon'
to commit 10 writing, and place IT among tneir
archievs, where every one should be Tree 10 ap-
peal to its text In this paragraph there is
mistake, in respect to its main point, as VIII De
perceived by referring 10 dates. The eonVen-
ton. which formed the constitution OF virginia,
assembled on the sixth Of May, and continued
~ Id Session q .ss Second
Provincial Congress-, which assembled at
Charleston on the first Of February.
The president Of this Congress vas William
Henry Drayton. On the eleventh Of February,
committee was appointed to prepare plan or
form Of government, as had been recommended
by the continental Congress in the preceding
November. Ofthis committee Charles Cotes-
worth Pinckney was chairman, as would appear
from the journal. A constitution was reported
a Few days afterwards, which, was discussed and
amended from time to time, ill it wa. finally
adopted on the day aforementioned. The
constitution itself may be seen in the journal Of
the second provincial Congress Of South Coro-
lima, printed Immediately after the session.
The same day on which this constitution was
adopted, that is, March Goth, l776, the officers
ofihe new government were elected. John Ru,-
ledge was chosen president, or governor, and
Henry Laurens vice president. From these
fac,s, tits evident that the constitution Of South
Carolina was promulgated before that Of Vir-
ginia, and, as far as we know, it was the first
written constitution in America. A primary
object OF historical societies should be TO col
lect manuscripts, TO publish the best of them,
and preserve those Of less value in such man.
ner that they can be consulted by the historian
and curious inquirer. The country abounds
with historical manuscripts, in the hands OF in
di,iduals and in public Offices. 1t is TO be la
mented, however, that few public colonial ma
nuscripts remain. In some Of the states, the
early journals Of the assemblies and Of councils
have beeG kept unbroken, but it is fact worthy
OF particular remark, that in very few OF the
states, in none certainly south Of New York,
can be discovered a vesIige ofthe correspon-
dence of the provincial governors, nor any of
the unpublished state papers anterior to the Re-
volution. This can be accounted for only upon
the superstition, that the governors took away
with them all the papers Of this description
The journals are barren in matters of history,
exhibiting little more than dry detail of the
daily proceedings Of the legislative and execu-
tive bodies. The journal OF the Council Of
South Carolina, under the provincial govern
meut, amounts to forty manuscript iolio vo-
Rmes. These contain specimens oflndian elo-
qaence, and occasional copies of letters. In
Georgia there is very little TO elucidate early
history, but what there is, we have good reason
to believe, has been thoroughly examined, and
will be faithfully reported, by Mr.. Bevan, who
is now engaged under the auspices of The legis-
latare in writing history of the state. North
Carolina is not without materials for early his
tory. Mr. Francis Xavier Martin many years
ago made preparations for writing history of
that state, bur his project never came to matu-
rity. Judge Murphey is ged in the same
Williamson's history isvery i'm
perfect. In Virginia all the public records and
papers were burnt in January, 1881, when the
British took possession Of Richmond under
Araold. Up to that date the Offices are blank.
Maryland was more fortunate, and its provin-
;ial records are well preserved. In Pennsylva-