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PHILADELPHIA, PA –
Secretary of State Nina Mitchell Wells has announced that
New Jersey’s official manuscript of the Bill of Rights
and the state’s 1787 Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
will be scanned at the Athenaeum of Philadelphia on Wednesday,
August 16. High-resolution images of these treasured documents
from the New Jersey State Archives will be produced on a state-of-the-art
scanner in the Athenaeum’s Regional Digital Imaging
Center. Imaging will make the priceless documents more accessible
to researchers and students of New Jersey history, and the
general public. Downloadable images of the Bill of Rights
and Ratification will be placed in the State Archives’
Documentary Treasures web pages, joining the state’s
three constitutions.
On
November 20, 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify
the Bill of Rights—the first ten amendments to the U.S.
Constitution—guaranteeing the fundamental rights and
freedoms of all American citizens. The Garden State was third
to ratify the U.S. Constitution, on December 18, 1787.
The
Athenaeum’s Regional Digital Imaging Center provides
archival-quality scanning services for its own collections
as well as a diverse clientele of institutions throughout
the mid-Atlantic region.
| WHO: |
The
Honorable Nina Mitchell Wells, Esq., New Jersey Secretary
of State; Karl Niederer, Director, New Jersey State Archives;
Bruce Laverty, Curator of Architecture, Athenaeum of Philadelphia
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| WHAT: |
Presentation of New Jersey’s manuscript of the Bill
of Rights and the state’s 1787 Ratification of the
U.S. Constitution for digital scanning at the Athenaeum
of Philadelphia
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| WHEN: |
Wednesday,
August 16th, 10:00 a.m.
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| WHERE: |
Athenaeum of Philadelphia
219 South Sixth Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106-3794
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Office
of the Secretary of State
