On loan from the National Archives, Delaware's Copy of the Bill of Rights is now on exhibition in the JewelBox Gallery at the Delaware Public Archives.  In 1789, Congress submitted a copy of the Bill of Rights (the first twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution) to all thirteen states for ratification.  Ten of the twelve amendments were ratified by the states and in 1791 became part of the U.S. Constitution.  Most states sent a separate reply letter to Congress denoting their approval (or not) of each amendment.  Delaware's copy is unique:  In 1790 the Delaware General Assembly penned their official approval of all but one of these amendments (pertaining to proportional representation) directly onto the bottom portion of the document and returned it to the Federal Government.  Delaware's copy was kept as a Federal record and safely housed for over two hundred years.  As a result, the First State's copy of the Bill of Rights is arguably the best preserved copy still in existence.

Delaware's Copy of the Bill of Rights is on exhibition now through July 4, 2007.

Exhibit Times :
Mondays thru Fridays - 9am to 430pm
Saturdays and most holidays - 9am to 5pm

A larger jpeg of The Bill of Rights (1.2 meg )- here