Annapolis MD "38:58.67N 76:28.65W"
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Sun 16 Oct 2011 02:20
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Annapolis became the capital of Maryland (a state
with a very interesting history of which more later) in 1696, with the Naval
Academy arriving in 1840.
Annapolis like so many American towns has
many beautiful old houses including the restored home of William Paca
(pronounced to rhyme with Baker), one of the signatories of the US Constitution
and thus a Founding Father of the USA. Here is his house in the bright
October sunshine; it is now a fascinating museum of late eighteenth century
life.
 I bought a copy of the US Constitution in the
house's gift shop. The Constitution was adopted in 1787, nearly twelve years
after the Declaration of Independence's justly famous second sentence was
written: we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights,
that among these are Life Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Surely as
powerful now as it must have been when first published.
Strange, then, that the Constitution apportioned
representation and direct taxation among the various States by adding to the
whole number of free persons, .... three fifths of all other persons .
In constitutional terms a (black) slave was worth 60% of a free person.
This curious and unpleasant state of affairs persisted until the 13th amendment
in 1865. Paca, like Goerge Washington, owned slaves; how they rationalised their
situation I have no idea.
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