A faint gold hue illuminates the events and special exhibit room in the Shiloh Museum in Springdale. The light comes from behind four glass shadowbox cases that display tanned sheets of paper with faintly etched cursive.
This is the Arkansas State Constitution—written and ratified in 1874. Jane Wilkerson, an archival assistant with the Arkansas State Archives, has been traveling with the historic document on a statewide road trip. She said most of the visitors are students and school groups.
“A lot of them are interested in the original document and the handwriting,” she said. “Of course, a lot of kids don’t know about cursive. And with the signatures, how hard some of them are to read. They’re enjoying the panels as well, but that seems to be one of the big focuses.”
Fanned out from the historic text are several panels that walk visitors through some of the history leading up to the founding of the state in 1836, previous iterations of the constitution, the Brooks-Baxter War, and more context to the founding document that governs the state today. A group of Haas Hall students from Springdale huddles around the document this afternoon.
The students are part of Jami Forrester’s Advanced Placement U.S. history class. Forrester said she wanted her students to get a more tangible understanding of the history they are studying.
“Yes, it’s just paper to some, but it’s a different feeling when you are actually standing in front of it and seeing it for yourself,” she said. “As a teacher, any of those teachers out there know that it’s a great joy to see your students having fun and learning at the same time. And of course, this is the constitution under which we as Arkansas citizens currently live.”
Later this month, the constitution will turn 150 years old. David Ware, director of the Arkansas State Archives, said that made for a good reason to bring the constitution out for a tour.
“And we found that a fair number of people don’t even realize there is an Arkansas state constitution,” he said. “So we figured in honor of the most recent constitution’s 150th birthday, we’d bring it out to see if we could drum up some interest in understanding what’s on that document and what gave rise to it.”
Ware said most Arkansans don’t have a good understanding of the state’s history from its founding in 1836 to the tumultuous years of the Civil War, or the Brooks-Baxter War—a month-long skirmish between two gubernatorial candidates that led to the end of Arkansas’ Reconstruction era and resulted in the current constitution.
He said making this artifact more accessible to the public might inspire a closer connection to the state’s history and a better understanding of its impact today.
“In other states, where there’s a strong tradition of teaching state history and civics, this builds love, loyalty, and a desire to help build their state,” Ware said. “A lot of our best and brightest young people are getting their degrees and leaving the state, or they’re leaving and not looking back except for Christmas and Easter. Anything we can do to reverse that trend, anything we can do to help people appreciate this state, love this state, and understand the state, is good for keeping the best of our people here or bringing them back to help build Arkansas.”
He also wants people to understand that while the constitution is a “relic,” it’s also a living document. This is actually the state’s fifth constitution, Ware explains. Since the most recent constitution was ratified, it has been amended 102 times—doubling the original text in size.
“So we talk in these panels a little bit about how the constitution, through amendment, has evolved,” he said. “And seeing the document, seeing the fact that right up front, right after the preamble, there’s a statement of rights. Before anything else, the framers of this constitution wanted to get the rights of Arkansans down in black and white.”
Another big takeaway from the exhibit is the preservation of the constitution itself, which spends most of its time tucked away in the archives just behind the state Capitol in Little Rock. Wilkerson said taking care to move the document safely wasn’t easy.
“It’s stressful. Thank goodness Shiloh is providing security for it while we’re here,” she said. “We have to make sure it has proper lighting and other conditions. It and the other constitutions we have are stored in handmade boxes with acid-free paper. It’s one of those things you don’t think about—how much they’re cherished.”
Ware explains the constitution is written on parchment called vellum—dried, stretched animal hide—which he said is particularly durable.
Back at the Shiloh Museum, the students say seeing the document in person makes the history seem more real.
“And you get to see all the imperfections on the actual papers and stuff,” one student said. “Which is pretty cool because it shows that, whoa, these were real people just like us.”
The constitution has one more stop in Helena this weekend before a final symposium on Oct. 12 at the Statehouse in Little Rock. Ware said he hopes more students and adults will take the opportunity to see this piece of Arkansas’ history.
“The relics of the past survive, and they survive not by accident, but by care—kind of like the state itself,” he said. “It doesn’t just move forward on its own. It takes care, it takes attention, and it takes bringing people’s attention to what’s important for things to survive. As with the constitution, so with the state.”
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