THE FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN HISTORY: 1793 EARLY EDITION OF THE ACTS OF THE HISTORIC SECOND CONGRESS, WHICH INCLUDED THE FINAL RATIFICATION OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS

(BILL OF RIGHTS). Acts Passed at the Second Congress of the United States of America. Philadelphia: Francis Childs and John Swaine, [1793]. Octavo, contemporary full brown calf, red morocco spine label, remnants of later paper spine label.

Early edition of the official publication of the acts of both sessions of the Second Congress, including the final ratification of the Bill of Rights, a foundational work in the history of American government, in contemporary calf.

The Second United States Congress met at Congress Hall in Philadelphia from March 4, 1791, to March 4, 1793, during the third and fourth years of George Washington's presidency. This 1793 official printing of the complete Acts of the Second Congress, "published by authority" by government printers Francis Childs and John Swaine, contains the original proposed 12 articles of the Bill of Rights, only ten of which were ratified, and the individual amendment ratifications from 11 states. At the Constitutional Convention of 1787, "a majority of the framers of the Constitution believed a Bill of Rights unnecessary… The people, however, felt otherwise and Massachusetts, Virginia, New York and other states ratified with a recommendation that a Bill of Rights specifically safeguarding individual rights should also be added. As another constitutional convention might have caused the disaster which the first so narrowly missed, James Madison, at the opening session of the First Congress of the new government, introduced twelve amendments to the Constitution, of which the first was a temporary measure only, and the second was rejected by more than a third of the states. The remaining ten amendments, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, and re-numbered 1 through 10, became a part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791, when they were declared ratified by the necessary number of states" (Grolier American, 57). The Second Congress was important, not only for its final ratification of the Bill of Rights by the various states, but for the formal armistice between the United States and Great Britain and the peace treaty with the Cherokees, last of the Indian treaties. This work contains the texts of acts passed by the Second Congress and approved by President Washington, including the first Fugitive Slave Act, rules for the Electoral College and presidential order of succession, acts establishing the Mint and Post Office, and other important early legislation.

In 1789 Congress ordered that 600 copies of the Acts of each session of Congress be printed and distributed to members of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal and state governments. Childs and Swaine in Philadelphia printed the bound volumes of the Acts of Congress at the end of each session. They published in 1792 Acts Passed at the First Session of the Second Congress, followed in 1793 by Acts Passed at the Second Session of the Second Congress, with continuous pagination. In 1793 Childs and Swaine apparently issued this complete edition by combining an unknown number of copies of the first and second sessions with a new title page, Acts Passed at the Second Congress, as the pagination and printing appear identical. All of the title pages state "Published by Authority" by the "Printers of the Laws of the United States." All early printings of the Acts of Congress are quite scarce. "Bound Acts came to be very hard to get. They were always in short supply. Six hundred copies barely covered the official distribution, left few for the general public, few for the Congressmen themselves… Senators could never find copies of the printings for their own use, neither could cabinet officers nor lesser departmental officials" (Powell, The Books of a New Nation, 92). Evans 26295. ESTC W14416 lists seven copies of this edition in institutions. Early owner ink signature on title page; also repeatedly on front and rear endpapers and flyleaves (blank). Remnants of paper shelf label affixed to spine head.

Mild toning to text, tear to upper margin of title page, not affecting letterpress. A bit of light wear to extremities of contemporary calf, spine somewhat darkened. A desirable copy in contemporary calf.