Special issue: 200th Anniversary of the Constitution of 1818

Stories in the issue:

• Where the Constitution of 1818 Fell Short by Elizabeth Normen
• State Historian Walt Woodward: “The Revolution of 1818” The perfect storm that begot a constitution.
• Secretary of State Denise Merrill: “The Unfinished Road to Early Voting” Why, oh, why can’t we have early voting in Connecticut? (at least not yet)
• “The People’s Governor” by Litchfield Historical Society’s Linda Hocking How the country’s second secretary of the treasury bridged the divide between the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans. 
• “What We Got in the Constitution of 1818” by judges Jon Blue and Henry Cohn
• “Black Suffrage: Rights for All?” by Ramin Ganeshram and Elizabeth Normen. Why were African American and Native American men disenfranchised in the Constitution of 1818?
• “The Greater Hartford League of Women Voters” by Elizabeth Rose
• “Site Lines: Where the Constitution Began–The Old State House” by Jacob Orcutt
• PULL-OUT TWO-SIDED ANNOTATED POSTER OF THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE 1818 CONSTITUTION! Members of the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society selected and commented on notable sections of the state constitution adopted in 1818. Please note that this is the text as adopted in 1818. To find the numerous amendments adopted after 1818 and up until the constitutional convention of 1965, visit the Secretary of the State’s website HERE.

BUY THE ISSUE

5-Part Podcast

These lectures about the constitution were originally given and recorded at Connecticut’s Old State House. For more episodes of Grating the Nutmeg, visit ctexplored.org/listen or Gratingthenutmeg.libsyn.com. 

Episode 45 (Part 1)—Trouble in the Land of Steady Habits
The social and environmental events that led to the Constitution of 1818. State Historian Walter Woodward. February 2018

Episode 55 (Part 2)—The Collapse of Connecticut Federalists’ Dominance
The political upheaval that led to the Constitution of 1818. Dr. Richard Buel Jr., Professor Emeritus, Wesleyan University. April 2018

Episode 56 (Part 3)—The Debates of the Constitution of 1818
Attorney Wesley Horton, president of the Connecticut Supreme Court Historical Society. April 2018

Episode 59(Part 4)—A Milestone in Church-State Relations in Connecticut?
Robert J. Imholt, Professor Emeritus, Albertus Magnus College. September 18, 2018

Episode 63 (Part 5)—Why the Constitution of 1818 Matters today
Judge Henry Cohn and Judge Jon Blue. November 13, 2018

More About Connecticut’s Government

“Are we the Constitution State?” by Walter Woodward, State Historian, Spring 2005. Woodward argues that the Fundamental Orders were not the first written constitution–and perhaps not a constitution at all.

“The Land of Steady Constitutional Habits,” by Wesley Horton, Fall 2012. Horton discusses all of the state’s constitutional documents.

“The Standing Order: Connecticut’s Ruling Aristocracy,” by David Corrigan, Fall 2012. Corrigan describes the small group of families that initially ruled Connecticut.

“The Unsteady Meaning of ‘The Land of Steady Habits,’” By Walter Woodward, Fall 2012. Just where did our reputation as “the Land of Steady Habits” come from?

“The ‘Notorious’ Hartford Convention,” by Dr. Matthew Warshauer, Summer 2012. What does the War of 1812 have to do with the Constitution of 1818? A lot.

“Reflections on the 1965 Constitutional Convention,” by Lawrence J. DeNardis, Summer 2014

“‘No Taxation Without Representation’: Black Voting in Connecticut,” by Katherine Harris, Spring 2016

“Gaining Religious Equality: Jews Petition in 1843” by Mary Donohue, Spring 2016. What did it take for Jews to get equal rights in Connecticut?

“West of Eden: Ohio Land Speculation Benefits Connecticut Public Schools,” by Lary Bloom, Summer 2007

Connecticut in the War of 1812, Summer 2012 issue

Connecticut’s Brand of Colonial Town, Summer 2016

Lesson Plan LINK

Developed by Jim D’Acosta, National Board Certified Teacher, Fairfield Warde High School

This lesson plan, which Jim developed for his “Civics and Contemporary Issues” class made up primarily of 12th grade students, uses the entire Fall 2018 issue of Connecticut Explored, including the pull-out annotated poster. Most of the stories in the issue are available online but you might find it easier to work from classroom copies. To order copies, visit ctexplored.org/shop or contact publisher@ctexplored.org for posters, while supplies last. Lesson plan shared with permission.

 

The 200th Anniversary of the Constitution of 1818 projects were supported by
CT Humanities

cthumanities.org