Ken Griffin Shares Rare First-Edition U.S. Constitution With the Public Through New Exhibition in New York City
Opening May 27 at New York’s South Street Seaport Museum, The Promise of Liberty: Words That Shaped a Nation will feature a rare 1787 “Official Edition” of the U.S. Constitution on loan from Ken Griffin—one of only 14 surviving copies. This previously undisclosed acquisition is the second Constitution under his stewardship, with another currently on loan to the National Constitution Center.
“The Constitution is far more than a founding document—it is one of humanity’s greatest achievements and a testament to the promise of America, as we approach our nation’s 250th anniversary, broadening access to it invites the next generation to discover its meaning and carry forward its principles”
Spanning a full floor of the Museum’s newly renovated A.A. Thomson & Co. building, the exhibition brings together rare historical materials tracing the evolution of the American experiment.
Visitors will encounter a July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence, an early printing of the Bill of Rights, and landmark documents from the Emancipation Proclamation to Martin Luther King Jr.’s “March on Washington” speech—where he described these founding texts as “a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.”
“The Promise of Liberty reflects the creation of a republic through debate, negotiation, and compromise in the written word,” said Capt. Jonathan Boulware, President and CEO of the South Street Seaport Museum.
Together, the exhibition offers a powerful look at how the nation’s founding ideals have been tested, expanded, and redefined over time.
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