America 250 — Landmark Documents from President Roosevelt’s Early American History Collections
Follow our #America250 series of articles highlighting hundreds of remarkable historical documents, manuscripts, and rare books collected personally by Franklin D. Roosevelt. These special collections reflect Roosevelt’s abiding interests in early American history, our nation’s founding fathers, the American Revolution; and they evidence the personal importance he placed on historical preservation of American heritage. President Roosevelt donated each of these treasures to the National Archives so they would be permanently preserved and made available for public research and exhibition at the FDR Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, NY.
1787 saw the passage by national convention, of a new Constitution, and with it the formation of a new government structure for the United States of America – four years after independence for the new nation had been secured. Next, it would require ratification (approval) by the states.
Each state held its own convention in the weeks and months that followed, to decide whether to accept the Constitution – or reject it – thus triggering a host of possible outcomes. It was, as expected, an arduous task.
For more information, please see: A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the U.S. Constitution
For our next article, we are featuring documents from the Roosevelt family directly connected to New York’s Ratifying Convention. These documents are held here at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
In the first document, Isaac Roosevelt, great-great grandfather to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, writes from New York’s convention to his son-in-law, Richard Varick. Isaac was a delegate there, which was held in Poughkeepsie, New York from June 17 through July 26, 1788.
Isaac Roosevelt was a sugar refiner from New York City and had been a financial supporter of the Revolution. Because of this, he was known as “the Patriot” by succeeding generations of his family. He would also serve as a president of the Bank of New York.
In this letter, Roosevelt vents his frustration over the progress of the convention, and his doubts of whether New York would ratify. He also mentions the role the state of Virginia was likely to play in generating momentum for either approval or rejection.
For the second document, we have a bulletin printed locally in Poughkeepsie, which announces Virginia’s ratification of the Constitution on June 25. The bulletin was likely distributed at the convention and Isaac kept a copy for himself.
Note the bulletin’s publication date of July 2, 1788. Then compare it to Roosevelt’s letter, dated July 1. In his letter Isaac writes:
I now only [can suggest] that the event of Virginia may influence their determination, should they reject I think it probable our convention will, but should they adopt, I am not clear ours will, they may then propose an adjournment to collect the [sense] of their respective constituents, tho’ all will depend on their leaders…
It appears that Isaac wrote this letter without knowledge of Virginia’s decision. We can perhaps relate in today’s instantaneous news cycle, to how excruciating it must have been for Isaac Roosevelt to wait for any updates on the outcome in Virginia. Envision sitting in a tense convention, waiting for news from several hundred miles away, that despite an “express” delivery, would take nearly a week to reach you.
These documents, from a prominent American citizen of his time, are noteworthy for their first-hand account of a crucial moment in the formation of our nation’s government and the history of New York State.
It is also interesting that the convention attended by Isaac Roosevelt took place just miles away from Hyde Park, New York – the future home of his great-great grandson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of that new nation and its federal government’s chief executive under that very same Constitution.
For more information on New York’s convention visit: https://history.nycourts.gov/about_period/federal-constitution/
As for New York’s convention, Virginia’s assent did not ease the gridlock. New York would continue to debate and argue over the Constitution for three more weeks, until its ultimate ratification by the convention on July 26, 1788, becoming the 11th state to do so.
These documents are part of the Rosedale Estate Papers, held at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Thanks to Robert Laube, FDR Library volunteer, for his help in transcribing these documents.
You must be logged in to post a comment.