1776 DELAWARE REVOLUTIONARY LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVE
DELAWARE REVOLUTIONARY LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVE
Founding the Government of Delaware: An Extraordinary Archive of Original Revolutionary War Legislative Manuscripts
Original Committee Drafts Establishing the Judiciary, Requiring Oaths of Allegiance, and Organizing the Administration of Justice
Circa September 1776–1777
One of the finest surviving groups of Revolutionary legislative manuscripts documenting the creation of civil government in one of the original thirteen states.
This remarkable archive consists of original working committee drafts prepared for the Delaware General Assembly during the earliest months of American independence. Written immediately after Delaware adopted its Constitution of 1776, these manuscripts record the legislative process by which a former British colony transformed itself into an independent American state.
Unlike printed session laws or engrossed acts, these are authentic legislative working papers, preserving extensive editorial revisions, insertions, deletions, and interlineations that reveal the drafting of the laws themselves.
Included Manuscripts
1. An Act for Confirming & Establishing the Several Courts of Justice within this State
Reported September 30, 1776, and ordered to be engrossed, this landmark bill established Delaware's independent judiciary while preserving legal continuity following separation from Great Britain. The manuscript explicitly references the recently adopted Declaration of Independence, placing it among the earliest legislative acknowledgments of American independence.
2. An Act to oblige certain Persons therein described to take the Oaths of Abjuration & Allegiance
A complete multi-page committee draft requiring judges, attorneys, jurors, schoolmasters, teachers, and public officials to renounce allegiance to the British Crown and swear fidelity to the State of Delaware.
Particularly noteworthy are the provisions governing public education, requiring schoolmasters and instructors to demonstrate loyalty before continuing to teach, illustrating the legislature's recognition of education's role in preserving republican government.
3. A Supplementary Act to the Small Causes Courts Act
This manuscript reforms the administration of Delaware's newly established courts by regulating juries, witnesses, subpoenas, constables, and court procedure. It demonstrates the practical work of transforming constitutional independence into a functioning judicial system.
Historical Importance
Taken together, these manuscripts illustrate virtually every stage in the formation of Delaware's civil government:
- Establishing the judiciary
- Organizing county courts
- Administering justice
- Defining citizenship
- Requiring political allegiance
- Regulating juries and witnesses
- Creating a functioning legal system
Rather than commemorating the Revolution, these manuscripts document how independence became government.
Physical Characteristics
- Original Revolutionary War legislative manuscripts
- Delaware General Assembly
- Circa 1776–1777
- Original committee drafts
- Iron-gall ink on laid paper
- Extensive contemporary revisions
- Excellent state of preservation
DELAWARE REVOLUTIONARY LEGISLATIVE ARCHIVE
Founding the Government of Delaware: An Extraordinary Archive of Original Revolutionary War Legislative Manuscripts
Original Committee Drafts Establishing the Judiciary, Requiring Oaths of Allegiance, and Organizing the Administration of Justice
Circa September 1776–1777
One of the finest surviving groups of Revolutionary legislative manuscripts documenting the creation of civil government in one of the original thirteen states.
This remarkable archive consists of original working committee drafts prepared for the Delaware General Assembly during the earliest months of American independence. Written immediately after Delaware adopted its Constitution of 1776, these manuscripts record the legislative process by which a former British colony transformed itself into an independent American state.
Unlike printed session laws or engrossed acts, these are authentic legislative working papers, preserving extensive editorial revisions, insertions, deletions, and interlineations that reveal the drafting of the laws themselves.
Included Manuscripts
1. An Act for Confirming & Establishing the Several Courts of Justice within this State
Reported September 30, 1776, and ordered to be engrossed, this landmark bill established Delaware's independent judiciary while preserving legal continuity following separation from Great Britain. The manuscript explicitly references the recently adopted Declaration of Independence, placing it among the earliest legislative acknowledgments of American independence.
2. An Act to oblige certain Persons therein described to take the Oaths of Abjuration & Allegiance
A complete multi-page committee draft requiring judges, attorneys, jurors, schoolmasters, teachers, and public officials to renounce allegiance to the British Crown and swear fidelity to the State of Delaware.
Particularly noteworthy are the provisions governing public education, requiring schoolmasters and instructors to demonstrate loyalty before continuing to teach, illustrating the legislature's recognition of education's role in preserving republican government.
3. A Supplementary Act to the Small Causes Courts Act
This manuscript reforms the administration of Delaware's newly established courts by regulating juries, witnesses, subpoenas, constables, and court procedure. It demonstrates the practical work of transforming constitutional independence into a functioning judicial system.
Historical Importance
Taken together, these manuscripts illustrate virtually every stage in the formation of Delaware's civil government:
- Establishing the judiciary
- Organizing county courts
- Administering justice
- Defining citizenship
- Requiring political allegiance
- Regulating juries and witnesses
- Creating a functioning legal system
Rather than commemorating the Revolution, these manuscripts document how independence became government.
Physical Characteristics
- Original Revolutionary War legislative manuscripts
- Delaware General Assembly
- Circa 1776–1777
- Original committee drafts
- Iron-gall ink on laid paper
- Extensive contemporary revisions
- Excellent state of preservation
