Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions

• Foreword by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Accompanies an exhibition at the New-York Historical Society February 26–May 26, 2020
• First public view of these privately owned documents together, including the only privately owned copy of the original US Constitution
• Timely publication during the politically-charged 2020 US Presidential election year

Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions highlights documents that tell the story of American constitutionalism from the founding era through to the turn of the 20th century. Accompanying a major exhibition at the New-York Historical Society and the Museum of the American Revolution, the book features federal and state constitutional materials – including a rare, privately owned copy of the original 1787 US Constitution – that offer essential windows into the history of the United States. Weaving both well-known and less familiar documents into a compelling narrative, the accessible text reveals how Americans have exercised their constitutional powers to shape their communities and why democracy remains an ongoing process.

Accompanies the exhibition Colonists, Citizens, Constitutions: Creating the American Republic at the New-York Historical Society from 28 February to 31 May 2020 and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia from 12 June to 5 July 2020.

The privately owned copy of the American constitution that is the central piece of this book, was auctioned at Sotheby’s in November ’21 for a record-breaking $43.2 million. 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, where she has served since 1993. She is the second of four female justices to be appointed to the Court.

James F. Hrdlicka is a postdoctoral research scholar in the School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies and the Program in Political History and Leadership at Arizona State University.