circa 1788, printed by Robert Ferguson of Hillsborough, pp. 1-10 covering July 21-31, separately numbered pp. 1-16 covering August 1-4, front cover signed “Samuel Johnston”, a combination of folio and loose leaf pages, approximately 6-1/2 x 8 in.

Provenance: A Historic Edenton Family Collection

Note: At the convention, debate continued for two weeks, but supporters failed to assuage Antifederalists’ fears that the Constitution would one day concentrate power at the national level and enable the government to chip away at states’ rights and individual liberty. The possibility of abuse of the powers of levying taxes, appointing government officials, and instituting a strong court system was of particular concern. The Antifederalist majority concurred with delegate William Gowdy of Guilford County, when he remarked: “Power belongs originally to the people, but if rulers be not well guarded, that power may be usurped from them.”  With the hope of effecting the incorporation of a bill of rights into the U.S. Constitution, the delegates voted 184 to 84 neither to ratify nor to reject the Constitution, and North Carolina remained out of the Union until the first Federal Congress passed the Bill of Rights, which led to North Carolina calling a second convention at Fayetteville.

Exceedingly rare. We have found no record of any copy appearing on the market.

This lot was viewed by representatives of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Department does not at this time have reason to believe that the Lot contains any out-of-custody public records.