California’s Original State Constitution to be on Display
Education Desk
September 07, 2005
Rare chance to see the 1849 Constitution in honor of the State’s 155th Birthday
Sacramento -- As part of the celebration of California’s 155th birthday, the state’s first Constitution will be removed from the vaults of the California State Archives and exhibited from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2005 in the lobby of the Secretary of State Building, 1500 11th Street in downtown Sacramento. The public will have the rare opportunity to view the title and signature pages of the parchment document, crafted in Monterey in September-October 1849, along with the Spanish translation, also made at Monterey, and the original printed copy of the 1879 Constitution.
Drafted in just over a month by a diverse group of delegates, the 19 page Constitution of 1849 outlawed slavery, defined citizenship, secured women’s separate property rights, made California officially bi-lingual, set the state’s boundaries and established a framework for government. Among the signers of the 1849 Constitution were pioneer John Sutter, leader of Mexican California Mariano Vallejo, and Henry W. Halleck, who would rise to command all Union armies during the Civil War. It guided California for 30 years and even served as a model for Argentina’s Constitution. The 1879 Constitution, written in Sacramento, instituted reforms and established the principles of state regulation of corporations and equitable taxation. It remains the foundation for today’s state government.
In addition to the viewing of California’s Constitutions, a special collection of documents related to Governor Leland Stanford will be exhibited on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 9-11 on the first floor of the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, 1020 O Street. This exhibition, drawn from the holdings of the California State Archives, will feature the articles of incorporation of the Central Pacific Railroad, of which Stanford was first president, the original survey of the Central Pacific over the Sierra Nevada, signed by Stanford and engineer Theodore Judah, and Governor Stanford’s daily journals.
The constitution and Stanford exhibitions are in cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Eureka Admission Day Weekend celebration and public opening of the Stanford Mansion.
Sacramento -- As part of the celebration of California’s 155th birthday, the state’s first Constitution will be removed from the vaults of the California State Archives and exhibited from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, September 9, 2005 in the lobby of the Secretary of State Building, 1500 11th Street in downtown Sacramento. The public will have the rare opportunity to view the title and signature pages of the parchment document, crafted in Monterey in September-October 1849, along with the Spanish translation, also made at Monterey, and the original printed copy of the 1879 Constitution.
Drafted in just over a month by a diverse group of delegates, the 19 page Constitution of 1849 outlawed slavery, defined citizenship, secured women’s separate property rights, made California officially bi-lingual, set the state’s boundaries and established a framework for government. Among the signers of the 1849 Constitution were pioneer John Sutter, leader of Mexican California Mariano Vallejo, and Henry W. Halleck, who would rise to command all Union armies during the Civil War. It guided California for 30 years and even served as a model for Argentina’s Constitution. The 1879 Constitution, written in Sacramento, instituted reforms and established the principles of state regulation of corporations and equitable taxation. It remains the foundation for today’s state government.
In addition to the viewing of California’s Constitutions, a special collection of documents related to Governor Leland Stanford will be exhibited on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, September 9-11 on the first floor of the California Museum for History, Women and the Arts, 1020 O Street. This exhibition, drawn from the holdings of the California State Archives, will feature the articles of incorporation of the Central Pacific Railroad, of which Stanford was first president, the original survey of the Central Pacific over the Sierra Nevada, signed by Stanford and engineer Theodore Judah, and Governor Stanford’s daily journals.
The constitution and Stanford exhibitions are in cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation’s Eureka Admission Day Weekend celebration and public opening of the Stanford Mansion.
Print
Email
