A 237-year-old government document was found lying in the cupboard, inside it is written – We the people…

Sometimes we find something in old houses and cupboards that is either historic or extremely valuable. For example, sometimes someone finds a hundred-year-old letter lying in the house and sometimes jewellery. But what was recently found inside a filing cabinet in North Carolina can be called an important document of the US government that is about 237 years old.

After finding it, historical document appraiser and archivist Seth Kaller spread the wide sheet of paper on a desk. Despite spending so many years inside a filing cabinet, it was in such good condition that he was handling it carefully, with clean, bare hands. It had just a few creases and tiny dust particles.

It is written at the top of the first page – We the people… That is, this is a copy of the American Constitution. This is a rare copy that was missing for almost two and a half centuries. Now it is being prepared to be auctioned. This auction will take place on September 28 in Asheville, North Carolina. Its minimum bid of $1 million has already been placed.

In fact, this copy was printed after the Constitutional Convention drafted the country’s proposed framework of government in 1787 and was sent to the Congress of the first US government, ineffective under the Articles of Confederation, and requested that they send it to the states for ratification by the people.

This is one of about 100 copies printed by Congressman Charles Thomson. Only eight of these are known to exist. Seven are publicly owned and the eighth is to be auctioned. Thomson probably signed two copies for each of the original 13 states, which certified them. They were sent to special ratifying conventions, where representatives debated for months before accepting the structure of the US government that continues to this day.

Where was the document found?

In fact, two years earlier, an estate was being cleared in Edenton, eastern North Carolina, that had once been owned by Samuel Johnston. He was governor of North Carolina from 1787 to 1789 and during the last year of his term oversaw the state convention that ratified this copy of the Constitution.