COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. BY HIS EXCELLENCY JOHN BROOKS, GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, A PROCLAMATION, FOR PROMULGATING THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

[Massachusetts Constitution]: Brooks, John

Verlag: [Boston, 1821

Broadside, 20 x 16 inches. Old folds. Horizontal fold splitting on the right side (touching a few letters of text). General edge and corner wear, with some chips and tears. Good plus. A very scarce broadside proclaiming the results of the 1820-21 Massachusetts Constitutional Convention. Governor John Brooks was a Revolutionary war veteran who fought under George Washington, and was also one of the last Federalist party officials to win public office. He was politically moderate and quite well-liked as an emblematic figure of the "Era of Good Feelings," though he was originally opposed to the Constitutional Convention of 1820-21. In response to pressures brought on by the state's rapidly increasing number of large cities, the Panic of 1819, and the sudden loss of Maine (which had been part of Massachusetts prior to earning statehood), leading political figures chose to hold the Convention over the Governor's protestations. This broadside advertises the outcome of that Convention, in which nine of the fourteen proposed amendments were passed. Among those amendments are new powers for the General Court in the creation of cities, reduced requirements for suffrage (any male citizen 21 or older who had lived in the state at least one year was now allowed to vote), prohibitions on holding multiple public offices, and a new oath of office. The new oath, which reads "I, A.B. do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and will support the Constitution thereof. So help me God," is also accompanied by a provision for Quakers. The constitution provides for Quaker office- holders to substitute "affirm" for "swear" and "under the pains and penalties of perjury" for "so help me God." Interestingly, the convention also proposed two amendments which were not passed which would have allowed non-Protestant Christians to hold positions in government and public education. This broadside is quite rare, particularly outside of Massachusetts. OCLC records it cataloged individually only at the Boston Public Library, Massachusetts Historical Society, Peabody Essex Museum, State Library of Massachusetts, American Antiquarian Society, and the University of Pittsburgh Law Library. AMERICAN IMPRINTS 5977. OCLC 191255733. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers WRCAM57394

Bibliografische Details

Titel: COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. BY HIS ...
Verlag: [Boston
Erscheinungsdatum: 1821