The special Fall 2018 issue is in the mail to member-subscribers and will be on newsstands by September 1.
Commemorating the 200th Anniversary of the Constitution of 1818
The issue includes a pull-out two-sided poster with the full text of the Constitution of 1818 including 14 annotations by members of the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society. We got the idea when the New York Times published a special insert of the U.S. Constitution on July 4 last year. This issue is a particularly useful teaching tool and we’ve distributed extra copies to 8th grade social studies and high school civics teachers to use in the classroom.
Readers of all ages will discover that this is a fascinating topic. It’s a time of great change–in Connecticut and the nation. You’ll learn about direct links between Connecticut and the national debate about strong federal government vs. strong states. The transition from the Federalist (strong federal government) dominance under presidents Washington and Adams to Democratic-Republican dominance (strong states/weak federal government) ushered in with Thomas Jefferson’s election in 1801 plays out in the toppling of Connecticut’s nearly 200 years of Federalist control that allows–finally–for a constitutional convention and modernization of Connecticut state government.
And who’s the star of the show? The young nation’s second Secretary of the Treasury, handpicked by Alexander Hamilton, Litchfield’s Oliver Wolcott, who, in 1818, is just enough insider and outsider to bridge the divide in Connecticut, become the governor, and call for a constitutional convention. It’s a great story!
Subscribe now to received this special issue!
