We all know what today is, right? National Constitution Day! Yes! This is the 227th anniversary of the day our United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Besides being the supreme law of the United States of America, which we all have learned about since elementary school, there are many interesting facts pertaining to that document, produced in the late summer of 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, which never get taught in school.
One, which I find particularly intriguing, is the spooky legend of the curse of the Constitution. Out of the thirty-nine men who signed it, five met untimely deaths. In 1802, the delegate from North Carolina, Richard Spaight, was mortally wounded in a duel with Congressman John Stanly. Alexander Hamilton, a delegate from New York, was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr in 1804. In 1806, George Wythe, from Virginia, died of arsenic poisoning. Pennsylvania’s Gouverneur Morris died in 1816 from some unsuccessful self-surgery, in which he tried to dislodge a urinary tract blockage with a piece of whale bone. And in 1829, New York’s John Lansing vanished without a trace after leaving his Manhattan hotel room to mail a letter. Just notable men, with an exceptionally significant historical activity in common, having very bad days? Or something else. Who can say?
I also find worthy of noting; those larger than life men from our history books who were participants in framing the Constitution, but did not sign it. They were not in attendance at the Constitutional Convention, some for unavoidable reasons, and some for personal reasons. They are: Thomas Jefferson, who was in Paris serving as the minister to France; John Adams, who was in London serving as the minister to Great Britain; Samuel Adams, John Hancock, and Patrick Henry, all who had been invited, but declined. Patrick Henry said he “smelt a rat in Philadelphia, tending toward the monarchy.” And of course, we cannot forget the entire delegation from Rhode Island boycotted the convention, because they did not trust a powerful federal government.
With all things Constitutional having been said and done that September in 1787, I would like to give a shout out to the gentleman who actually handwrote the document. Let’s hear it for Jacob Shallus, Assistant Clerk of the Pennsylvania State Assembly, who, quill in hand, was paid $30 and given two days to write 4,543 words on four sheets of vellum parchment. Well done, Mr. Shallus, well done!
I have a copy of the United States Constitution, which I have carried in my wallet since 1981. Reading it is a privilege, and knowing what we believe, and why, gives me a foundation upon which I feel comfortable when it is time to declare my opinion, as a citizen, that something is in compliance with that document, or not. There are greater minds than mine continually issuing decisions on the Constitutionality of issues facing our nation, but I, for one, am grateful that I may participate, and be heard, to the best of my ability, in this republic, this country, this place I love and call my home.
Galactic Junction 
It is an incredible document.
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It certainly is. Thank you for your comment!
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Great post. I don’t believe in the curse thing, as everyone has to die from something. My thesis on the duels is they are traceable to arguments when imbibing. Smart men who disagree over time, say something stupid when drunk and, lo and behold, they are in a duel at dawn. I can’t explain the arsenic poisoning, though.
But, back to the document – it is an incredible document, making up for the first attempt of Articles of Confederation. We should take pride in the construct of our governance. Unfortunately, we need help with those who get voted in to govern. Thanks, BTG
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Thank you! The document and the framers were amazing.
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Would that even a handful of the people who go around publicly proclaiming their personal tastes as Constitutionally guaranteed rights and their phobias as forbidden by the same document actually sat down, read, discussed and understood it. Cheers to you for caring enough to do so!!!
I’d guess that BTG is right about the dueling; it was probably a higher-percentage cause of death among the politically active upper class than we like to think nowadays, especially since you only had to get winged to get gangrene and die. Come to think of it, arsenic poisoning could result from any number of spurious “cures” popular in the day, not unlike the (yikes! I want to scream just thinking about it!!) home surgery involved in trying to fix one’s own urinary tract with a piece of whalebone. All in all, an incredible piece of history, no matter what.
K
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Yes, so incredible! That is why I love history so much; all about amazing people doing amazing things. Not always good things, but amazingly noteworthy, nonetheless. Thank you for your comments. I always appreciate them.
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Thanks for the timely share, VG! Our founding fathers were brave men. I’m not persuaded about a curse ~> affecting 5 out of 39 signers is just 10% odds.
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I do not believe in curses either; I do love the spookiness people see in such occurrences. Thank you for the comment!
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Interesting to hear about their “unusual” (and gruesome) deaths ~> whale bone?!
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Someone needed to ask him what in the world was he thinking!
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It saved our country, no doubt about it. As for a way to die, I would not choose the whalebone option. 🙂 –Curt
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Talk about a choice that did not work out so well!
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VG, great post. I, too, am a fan of the whale bone story. Should have used a chipmunk bone!
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Yikes! Still sounds awful!!
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