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Bucks County Historian Lends Rare Document To Constitution Center

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A noted Bucks County historian who has a very rare and very important piece of American history is handing it off to the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia today where it will remain on display for three weeks.

This eight and a half by eleven piece of paper is the "Resolve of Congress of September 28, 1787" and made possible Congress' official transmittal of the Constitution to the states, giving life to the ratification process.

Noted Doylestown historian and collector Tom Lingenfelter says only three copies of what he calls the birth certificate of the Constitution are known to exist.

"it's a small link between the Constitution being written and the Constitution being adopted but without that little link or bridge which I call the birth, it wouldn't exist."

He says the vote on the constitution at the state level could have gone either way, but this resolution coming from Congress had the appearance of total agreement. The copy will remain on display at the Constitution Center through October 7th.

Reported by Brad Segall, KYW Newsradio

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