Existing comment:
The Syng Inkstand:
There were, of course, moments of calm amidst the stormy debates of nation-building, fleeting but welcome periods of consensus. The votes had been taken and the recruits tallied. An official document lay on the table, ready for signature. The time for public commitment had arrived. All present understood the significance of the gesture they prepared to make.
In retrospect, two such moments stand out as milestones.
* On August 2, 1776, members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.
* On September 17, 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the US Constitution.
Both events took place in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House (Independence Hall). On both occasions, the inkstand probably used was this one made by Philip Syng for the Pennsylvania Assembly. |