[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 174 (Tuesday, November 25, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S15962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DELAWARE'S BILL OF RIGHTS COMES HOME

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, it is with tremendous pride that I rise 
today to commemorate that after 213 years, Delaware's original copy of 
Bill of Rights ratified in 1790, is returning home.
  This is a story steeped in history, mixed with some modern-day 
political negotiations--worth celebrating.
  While Delaware holds the distinction as the first State to ratify the 
Constitution, on December 7, 1787, it was the sixth State to ratify the 
Bill of Rights--on January 28, 1790. The two signors of this historic 
document were Jehu Davis and George Mitchell. And they were quite 
efficient. Instead of drafting a separate letter, as most States did, 
to notify Congress of Delaware's ratification of the Bill of Rights, 
they simply penned their signatures on the Bill of Rights document and 
returned it whole cloth to Congress. Thus, Delaware had no copy of what 
Davis and Mitchell signed.
  The National Archives, to its immense credit, conserved Delaware's 
original copy of the Bill of Rights in pristine condition for more than 
two centuries. However, two years ago Delaware's Public Archives, State 
House Majority Leader Wayne Smith, and the Delaware General Assembly 
asked the congressional delegation to help negotiate the return of our 
Bill of Rights document. We all agreed that this historic document 
should be displayed for all to see in Delaware, not stored in the 
basement of the National Archives in Washington, DC.
  The National Archives is, justifiably, quite protective of its 
documents. Suffice to say that it took ten months of negotiations, 
meetings, letters and conference calls to come to terms on an agreement 
that returns this document to Delaware, while retaining the National 
Archives legal and preservation rights to it.
  Starting this December 7, on my State's 216th birthday, its original 
Bill of Rights will be on display for all to see. It will be on view at 
our new, state-of-the-art Public Archives Building in Dover, DE. And 
that is exactly where this document belongs--on public display where 
school students and adults alike can appreciate its historic 
significance.
  We should all be proud of this accomplishment because it's part of 
our history. The Bill of Rights is a symbol of who we are and the 
values we hold dear. It ties us to our past and reminds us of those 
principles that will guide us into the future.

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