American Historical Ephemera & Photography Online

4pp., folio, 10 x 16 1/4 in. Disbound (partially separated at central fold, chipping, creasing, toning to margins and near folds, top edge trimmed). Portion of original owner's name included in the upper margin in brown iron gall ink. Provenance: Library of Stephen Foreman (blindstamp on newspaper, lower right on p. 3).

The newspaper features a prominent, front page headline, “Ratification of the New Constitution by the State of North Carolina / With the Amendments Proposed.” Attractive display newspaper with news of the ratification of the US Constitution by North Carolina.

One of the major reasons North Carolina did not initially ratify the Constitution was its lack of a bill of rights. The delegates, however, proposed a series of amendments to personal liberties and urged the new federal Congress to adopt measures to incorporate a bill of rights into the Constitution. North Carolina held a ratification convention in Fayetteville during 16-23 November 1789 to debate for the second time whether to accept the US Constitution and join the new federal Union.