The point of controversy eventually rested on one issue and the argument in North Carolina was vigorous and, at times contentious. Conservatives led by James Iredell wanted the document left alone. Their opponents, led by Willie Jones, insisted on added protections for individual liberties.
The document protecting individual liberties that North Carolina demanded before ratifying the U.S. Constitution will be displayed Wednesday, June 15, through Sunday, June 19, in the exhibit, "Treasures of Carolina: Stories from the State Archives" at the N.C. Museum of History. Admission is free.
For a while there was heated debate about the Bill of Rights, each side rounding up more allies. The internal stalemate escalated, preventing North Carolina from taking action, but by November 1789, the state finally ratified the U.S. Constitution with the longed-for Bill of Rights as its first 10 amendments.
George Washington had a copy of the Bill of Rights created for each state. North Carolina's copy was held in the State Capitol building until, in 1865, it was stolen by a Union soldier. Recovered in an FBI sting operation almost 150 years later, North Carolina's official copy of the Bill of Rights resides in one of two vaults in the State Archives.
Rarely displayed because of its fragile condition, museum visitors will be able to view this document for one week in the Treasures of Carolina: Stories from the State Archives exhibit at the Museum of History in Raleigh.
"The Bill of Rights belongs to the people of North Carolina," stated Sarah Koonts, state archivist.
"We are the custodians of a document that guarantees freedom and liberties to United States citizens and we are happy to have the opportunity to exhibit this treasure to the public."
Visitors to the Treasures of Carolina exhibit will discover the important role of the State Archives of North Carolina -- the state's memory bank. From parchment documents to digital files, the State Archives collects, preserves and makes accessible more than 100 million treasures chronicling the Tar Heel State, past and present.
The variety of public records and private manuscript collections in the exhibit focuses on three themes: providing evidence of civil and property rights, government transparency, and the preservation of North Carolina's history and culture.
A sampling of the exhibit treasures and their fascinating stories follows.
- The earliest will known to exist in North Carolina, recorded in 1665 by Mary Fortsen. It is unusual because female property owners were extremely rare in the 1600s.
- An 1839 petition for United States citizenship, signed by Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker, who were born in Siam (now Thailand). They settled in Wilkes County and married sisters. Altogether, the families had 21 children.
- The hand-drawn map used as evidence during the 1867 trial of Tom Dula, who was indicted and hanged for murdering Laura Foster. Dula's fate is told in the popular ballad "Tom Dooley."
- A Civil War letter from Martha A. E. Henley Poteet to her husband, Francis Marion Poteet, who was away at war. She enclosed a cutout of her 4-week-old daughter's hand with the request "write to Me what to name her." The family lived in McDowell County.
- A 1903 copy of the North Carolina Constitutional Reader. In 1901 rules were enacted to prevent illiterate African Americans from voting, and this book was published to help African Americans read the Constitution in case they were questioned at the polls when trying to vote.
- Audio recordings of World War I soldiers' oral histories.
Treasures of Carolina will run through July 31, 2016. The Bill of Rights will be displayed June 15 through June 19.
For information about the N.C. Museum of History, a Smithsonian-affiliated museum, call (919)807-7900 or access ncmuseumofhistory.org or follow on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ or YouTube. For details about the State Archives of North Carolina, go to archives.ncdcr.gov.