The Cover Letter of the Constitution

Watch the premiere of the recording of “The Cover Letter of the Constitution,” given in Commemoration of Constitution Day 2021, by Statutesandstories.com and The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. It was a presentation on the fascinating story of the Constitution’s “Cover Letter,” George Washington’s largely forgotten transmittal letter that formally introduced the Constitution to the world.

On September 17, 1787 the Cover Letter launched one of the most important public relations campaigns in US history – the effort to ratify the US Constitution. After the Constitution was ratified and its purpose achieved, with time, the letter sadly faded into oblivion.

The Cover Letter was prepared by the critically important Committee of Style and Arrangement, consisting of William Samuel Johnson, Alexander Hamilton, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison and Rufus King. The Committee completed their assignment in only four days, being elected on September 8th, and handing their work to the Convention for approval on September 12, 1787.

This presentation by Adam Levinson, founder of StatutesandStories.com, and Sergio Villavicencio, Vice President of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, explored details of the Constitutional Convention, and the many mysteries of the Constitution’s Cover Letter.