About This Collection
Four constitutional conventions have been held since the first convention wrote the Constitution of 1776. These succeeding conventions, convened in 1789, 1837, 1872 and 1967, were held in response to demands for sweeping changes to the existing constitution. Procedures for the convening of constitutional conventions have varied since they were established by the legislatures which issued the convention call. The 1776 and 1789 conventions were held without any prior approval by the general electorate. The 1776 Provincial Convention was held as a result of a calling by a conference of extra-legal Committees of Correspondence. The Constitution which it produced provided for an elected body known as the Council of Censors to serve as a check on the executive and legislative branches. The Council was to be elected every seven years, and was to convene for a period of one year. The Council was given the authority to censure public officials, order impeachments, recommend the repeal of legislation, and if necessary, call for a convention to amend the Constitution. This machinery for constitutional revision was ignored in 1789 when the General Assembly called for a constitutional convention. All provisions for the Council of Censors were omitted from the Constitution of 1790. This collecton contains a minute book, arranged chronologically by date of entry, describing the daily activities of the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia that ran from July 15, 1776, until September 26, 1776. Among the actions described are those of the Bill of Rights Committee, the Council of Safety, the manufacturing of paper money bills, and actions taken to prevent counterfeiting. Information provided concerns the raising of troops for frontier defense. Important references are found to Benjamin Franklin, John Wilkinson, Jacob Morgan, and David Rittenhouse. Transcripts of the resolutions and discussions of the various members of the convention are present. The minute book ends with the adjournment of the convention on August 30, 1776.
