Bill of Rights

Liberty and Freedom:
North Carolina's Tour of the Bill of Rights

(RALEIGH, N.C.) North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights, taken from the State Capitol in 1865, and recovered by the FBI in 2003, will crisscross the state in 2007 during "Liberty and Freedom: North Carolina's Tour of the Bill of Rights." The precious document, also known as the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, is one of 13 copies circulated to the states.

"The tour of the Bill of Rights is a fitting way to mark 'History Happens Here,' which is Cultural Resources' departmental theme for 2007," said Secretary Lisbeth C. "Libba" Evans. "From the birth of the first English child in the New World, to the first formal sanction of independence, to the first discovery of gold in the U.S., North Carolina has much history to share."

Taken during the Union occupation of Raleigh during the final days of the Civil War, the Bill of Rights came home to North Carolina in 2005 after 140 years. North Carolina Governor Mike Easley set in motion the creation of a team of law enforcement officials from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. Dealers were trying to sell the document to a museum in Philadelphia.

"The Bill of Rights plays an important part in the daily life of the United States, and North Carolina played a key part in the birth of the Bill of Rights," said historian Dr. Jeffrey Crow, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Archives and History. "North Carolina refused to join the United States until a Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution."

Each stop on the tour will feature speakers who will highlight a different amendment:

  • Fayetteville, home of the state's oldest newspaper still being published, will feature Freedom of the Press, Feb. 9-11. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum.
  • Wilmington, home of the oldest synagogue in the state will highlight Freedom of Religion, March 9-11. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the Louise Wells Cameron Art Museum.
  • Edenton, home of North Carolina's oldest courthouse, will host Freedom of Speech, April 19-21. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the Chowan County Courthouse in Edenton. Historic Edenton is one of 27 North Carolina State Historic Sites.
  • Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina, will highlight Non-Enumerated Rights during Constitution Week, Sept. 17-23. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the North Carolina Museum of History.
  • Charlotte, home of the Mecklenburg Resolves, will showcase the Right to Assemble/Petition, Oct. 5-7. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the library and performing arts center ImaginOn.
  • Asheville, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, will host Right to a Jury Trial and Due Process, Nov. 8-10. The Bill of Rights will be on display at UNC-Asheville.
  • Greensboro, site of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse will feature the Right to Bear Arms, Nov. 30 to Dec. 2. The Bill of Rights will be on display at the Greensboro Historical Museum.

Signatures on the North Carolina copy include Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg as speaker of the House of Representatives and John Adams as U.S. vice-president and president of the Senate. The document also has the signatures of John Beckley, clerk of the House of Representatives and Samuel A. Otis, secretary of the Senate.

The fragile document is made of parchment and is approximately 31 3/8 inches x 26 1/2 inches. After the document's recovery, the Department of Cultural Resources had it professionally conserved.

"Liberty and Freedom" is presented by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, which includes the State Archives, 27 historic sites, seven history museums, Historical Publications, Offices of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, the State Library, including genealogy, the N.C. Arts Council, N.C. Museum of Art, the N.C. Symphony, the Research Branch and other units within the Office of Archives and History. Many programs relating to "History Happens Here" will be part of the department's programming.

Cultural Resources is a state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina's arts, history and culture. Now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources, all available at www.ncculture.com.
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