A little info for ye West Wing viewers...
The North Carolina Bill of Rights
North Carolina Ratifying Convention, Declaration of Rights and Other Amendments
1 Aug. 1788Elliot 4:242--46, 248--49
The resolution was accordingly read and entered, as follows, viz.:--
Resolved, That a declaration of rights, asserting and securing from encroachment the great principles of civil and religious liberty, and the unalienable rights of the people, together with amendments to the most ambiguous and exceptionable parts of the said Constitution of government, ought to be laid before Congress, and the convention of the states that shall or may be called for the purpose of amending the said Constitution, for their consideration, previous to the ratification of the Constitution aforesaid on the part of the state of North Carolina.
THE FULL TEXT
AG Cooper wants North Carolina's stolen Bill of Rights to come home
AG Cooper wants North Carolina's stolen Bill of Rights to come home
Copy taken by Civil War soldiers belongs to the people of North Carolina, Cooper says
Raleigh: Attorney General Roy Cooper today asked a court to return North Carolina's original copy of the U.S. Bill of Rights, stolen from the state Capitol in 1865. "North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights is a piece of our history and a symbol of our freedom," said Cooper. "We want to see our copy of the Bill of Rights returned to its rightful owners, the people of North Carolina." In documents filed today with the U.S. District Court in Raleigh, Cooper contends that a copy of the Bill of Rights seized from an antiques dealer last month is the legal property of North Carolina and should be returned to the state. The documents detail how state officials had attempted to recover North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights several times since 1865. Newspaper reports from 1897 indicated that the document hung on a wall in the Indianapolis office of Charles Shotwell, who admitted that he had bought it for $5 from an Ohio soldier in 1865 but refused to return it to North Carolina. In 1925, a Pennsylvania dealer contacted the state about purchasing the document. The North Carolina Historical Commission told the dealer that the document had been stolen and was the property of North Carolina. The location of the document was unknown for 70 years until a Washington, DC attorney offered to sell it to the state for $3 million to $10 million in 1995. North Carolina again asserted that it would not pay for property stolen from the state. The document dates back to 1789, when President George Washington presented handwritten copies of the U.S. Bill of Rights to North Carolina and the 12 other signatory states. North Carolina's copy was sent to Raleigh and placed on display for several years. Toward the close of the Civil War, state officials removed the Bill of Rights and other important documents from Raleigh to protect them. When the armistice ended the war on April 26, 1865, the documents were returned to the state capitol, which was then occupied by U.S. General William Sherman's army. A federal soldier allegedly took the Bill of Rights sometime during the occupation. Missing from the state since 1865, North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights resurfaced in March when state officials learned that a Connecticut antiques dealer was offering it for sale to the National Constitutional Center in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania officials contacted the state about the document, which experts had determined to be North Carolina's original copy. Cooper assembled a team of attorneys who worked closely with Governor Mike Easley's office and U.S. Attorneys in Raleigh and Philadelphia to recover the document. U.S. Marshals were able to retrieve it during a federal undercover operation on March 18. "This document belongs to the people of North Carolina, not to the highest bidder," said Cooper. "We are determined to bring it home once and for all."
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http://www.jus.state.nc.us/in/press/03192003.htm
North Carolina's Bill of Rights coming home, AG Cooper announces
Copy stolen by occupying soldiers during Civil War to be returned to North Carolina
Raleigh: Attorney General Roy Cooper announced today that North Carolina's original copy of the U.S. Bill of Rights, stolen in 1865, has been recovered. Cooper assembled a team of attorneys who worked closely with Governor Mike Easley's office and the U.S. Attorney's office in Raleigh to recover the document.
"Our goal was to reclaim a piece of North Carolina's history. This document is a sign of our freedom, not just a collector's item," said North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper. "We now look forward to seeing our copy of the Bill of Rights returned to its rightful owners, the people of North Carolina."
The U.S. Bill of Rights was signed in 1789 by the original thirteen colonies, including North Carolina. At that time, President George Washington provided each signatory state with an original handwritten copy of the document. North Carolina's copy was sent to Raleigh where it was on display for several years. Toward the close of the Civil War, state officials removed the Bill of Rights and other important documents from Raleigh to protect them. When the armistice ended the war on April 26, 1865, the documents were returned to the state capitol, which was then occupied by U.S. General William Sherman's army. A federal soldier allegedly took North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights sometime during the occupation.
North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights resurfaced late last week. Based on information provided by Cooper and Governor Easley, federal officials in Raleigh and Philadelphia were able to locate the document and retrieve it during an undercover operation on March 18. The United States Marshal sought and received a seizure warrant from Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle. The document will continue to be held pending the resolution of any associated legal claims.
North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights is expected to arrive Federal Courthouse in Raleigh by early next week. The document will then be shown to the public for the first time since 1865.
"Thanks to the cooperation of the United States Attorneys and the quick work of the FBI and the United States Marshal, North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights is coming home," said Cooper.
