A Maryland delegation ratifies the new constitution on a vote of 63-11. It also charges member William Paca (1740-1799) to draft proposed amendments. Among the many proposals concerning the responsibilities of the new government to the people, Paca addresses freedom of speech, the press and religion. These proposals are offered more than three years before the first ten constitutional amendments (the U.S. Bill of Rights) are ratified in 1791.
William Paca, a rich plantation owner with enslaved workers from Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is a strong and committed advocate of rebelling against British rule. He is a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the 3rd Governor of the State of Maryland. Working out of his large house in Annapolis, Paca is a major Maryland voice in the early U.S. Republic. Among other causes, he advocates for assistance to the veterans of the Revolutionary War.
