Philadelphia, Feb. 22, 1812 [1813]

Sir,

Emboldened by your well known zeal for the diffusion of knowledge, especially when it relates to the institutions of our country, I have taken the liberty, though personally a stranger to you, of intruding upon your retirement, to ask some information for a work on which I am at present engaged, to be entitled, a Tabular View of the Constitutions of the U.S. & of the several States. In this it has been my endeavour to present as complete a view of all the interesting points in the different constitutions as could possibly be comprised in the compass of a sheet. With this intention, I have drawn up a table, under the three principal heads of Legislature, Executive, & Judiciary. The first column contains the names of the states, with the date of adoption of their constitution. The next two columns are under the head Legislature, viz. their Term of Office, & stated Day of Meeting. The four following, under the head Executive, how elected, term of office, legislative power & who acts in case of death impeachment, &c. Under the head Judiciary, by whom appointed, term of office, & how removeable. Separate columns are likewise allotted for Qualifications of Voters, & Day of General Election. This table will fill half the sheet. The remainder is to be occupied by a comparative view of the constitutions on all the topics which could not be included in the Table, under the titles Qualification of Executive, Qualifications of Legislature, Number of Legislature, their power of protesting, Imprisoning for contempts &c. Power of originating bills, Executive Council, Lieut.-governor. The pardoning power. Religious qualifications for office Provisions for the support of religion, Provisions for Education, Provisions for amending Constitution, &c &c

The Edition of the Constitutions from which I compiled my “View,” was published by Duane in 1806. Several have been printed since, but all verbatim with this. I relied with confidence on this edition, expecting it to contain at least the amendments to the date of publication. Fortunately, however, I discovered, before my work had gone to press, that it was not so, & accordingly determined not to trust to it, but to endeavour myself to procure the alterations from the different states. Although the constitution framed by Virginia in 1776 does not contain provision for amendments, yet I thought it possible it might have undergone a change notwithstanding. Under these circumstances will you pardon the liberty I have taken, in asking you if any change has taken place, & whether to your knowledge any other constitution has been amended besides those of the U.S. & Maryland, which I have procured. The constitution of Virginia is the only one in the Union, that does not point out the qualifications of voters. It merely says they shall remain as exercised at present. By your “Notes on Virginia,” I perceive these are, an estate for life in 100 acres of uninhabited land, or 25 acres with a house on it, or a house & lot in some town. I presume if the constitution is unaltered, that these qualifications remain the same, & consequently that I shall be correct in subjoining this as a note to the Table, on the authority of the “Notes.”—I omitted mentioning above, that the “View,” is to be varnished & mounted on rollers, for hanging up in Libraries parlours, or lobbies, for the sake of convenient reference. I am, Sir,

With much respect, Your obedt servt

Thomas Palmer.

Please to direct to Thos & Geo. Palmer, Philadelphia:

RC (ViW: TC-JP); misdated; endorsed by TJ as a letter of 22 Feb. 1813 received four days later and so recorded in SJL.

Thomas H. Palmer (1782–1861), printer, author, and educational reformer, was born in Kelso, Scotland, and immigrated to Philadelphia in 1801. There he ran a printing office on his own and in partnership with his brother George Palmer for the next quarter century. The Palmers’ firms printed the travels of John Melish, a medical dictionary by John Redman Coxe, and Palmer’s own compilation of American state papers and official records, The Historical Register of the United States, 4 vols. (Washington, 1814–16; Poor, Jefferson’s Library, 5 [no. 145]), to which TJ subscribed. His brother died in 1817, and in 1826 Palmer moved to Rutland County, Vermont. In his latter years he farmed, served as a school superintendent, helped found a model lyceum and library in Pittsford, and advocated educational reforms. Palmer authored textbooks and other educational aids, including an 1840 teachers’ manual in which he evidently coined the motivational proverb, “If at first you don’t succeed, Try, try again.” In 1853 he served as the corresponding secretary of a Vermont peace convention. Palmer’s final work, a dictionary of proper names, remained unpublished at his death (Abby Maria Hemenway, The Vermont Historical Gazetteer [1868–91], 3:957–62; Cornelius William Stafford, Philadelphia Directory, for 1801 [Philadelphia, 1801], 39; James Robinson, The Philadelphia Directory, City and County Register, for 1802 [Philadelphia, 1802], 187; TJ to Palmer, 22 May 1813; Philadelphia Poulson’s American Daily Advertiser, 12 Mar. 1817; Thomas Wilson, ed., The Philadelphia Directory and Stranger’s Guide, for 1825 [Philadelphia, 1825], 106; Abiel M. Caverly, History of the Town of Pittsford, Vt. [1872; repr. 1976], 386–7, 534–5, 577–81, 717–8; Palmer, The Teacher’s Manual [1840], 223; Windsor Vermont Chronicle, 4 June 1845, 1 Apr. 1846, 5 July 1853).

Palmer later recalled having published his tabular view of the constitutions of the u.s. & of the several states in 1817, and he sent TJ a copy of the work in 1825, but no distinct edition has been found (Hemenway, 3:961; Palmer to TJ, 9 Mar. 1825). It was published as item number seven in Henry Charles Carey, A Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas, being a guide to the history of North and South America, and the West Indies (Philadelphia, 1822), which Palmer printed. Palmer based his work on the edition of the constitutions printed by William duane as The Constitutions of the United States; according to the Latest Amendments, to which are prefixed the Declaration of Independence and the Federal Constitution (Philadelphia, 1806).

JEFFERSON'S REPLY:

To Thomas H. Palmer

Monticello Mar. 6. 13.

Sir

In answer to the enquiries in your letter of Feb. 22. I have to observe to you that the constitution of Virginia has undergone no formal change, nor recieved any formal amendment since the date at which it was passed. altho passed by the ordinary legislature, & elected1 for ordinary legislation only, (for the establishment of a government had not been contemplated at the time of their election) it has generally been respected as controuling the subsequent legislatures, and the judges have in one or two cases considered subsequent laws, in contradiction to that, as void. yet it is equally true that other laws, equally contradictory, have been acted on without question. at the time of the constitution 100. as of unimproved land were necessary to qualify an elector of a member of the legislature. but by a law of 1785.2 it has been reduced to 50. acres. the qualification of an elector is now as follows. every male citizen (other than free negroes or mulattoes) of this commonwealth, of the age of 21. years, having an estate of freehold in 25. acres of land with a house equal to 12. feet square & a plantation on it or 50. as of unimproved land, or a part of a lot in a town with a house on it of the area beforementioned, may elect or be elected to the legislature. whether the constitutions of any other of the states have been altered since the date you mention, I am not able to inform you. with wishes for the success of your work I tender you the assurance of my respect.

Th: Jefferson

Thomas H. Palmer to Thomas Jefferson, 20 April 1813

From Thomas H. Palmer

Philadelphia, April 20th 1813.

Sir,

I received a few weeks ago your letter containing answers to some questions respecting the Constitution of Virginia, for which I return you many thanks. I have taken the liberty of again addressing you, to call your attention to the enclosed Prospectus of a new Periodical Work to wh I intend to devote my exclusive attention. Should the Plan meet your approbation, & should you think the work promises to be of public utility, you will oblige me by giving it the sanction of your name as a subscriber, & by showing the Prospectus to such gentlemen in your neighbourhood as you may think likely to patronize the work. I intend visiting as many of the seats of government of the different states as I can this summer for the purpose of making arrangements to receive regularly an account of their proceedings. The others I shall visit next summer. A line addressed, as before, to Thos & Geo. Palmer, Phila will come to my hands, & will oblige,

Yours respectfully,

Thos H. Palmer.

RC (MHi); at foot of text: “T. Jefferson, Esq.”; endorsed by TJ as received 15 May 1813 and so recorded in SJL.

The enclosed prospectus, not found, was probably similar to Palmer’s “Proposals” in the Charleston, S.C., Investigator, 30 Apr. 1813, for the publication by subscription of his serial, The Historical Register of the United States, 4 vols. (Washington, 1814–16; Poor, Jefferson’s Library, 5 [no. 145]). Palmer promised that the publication would consist of at least eight-hundred octavo pages per half-bound, lettered morocco volume, each of which would cost $5. On this day he also wrote a letter asking James Madison to patronize the work (Madison, Papers, Pres. Ser., 6:221).

Thomas H. Palmer to Thomas Jefferson, 23 October 1816

From Thomas H. Palmer

Philadelphia, Oct. 23, 1816.

Sir,

I hope you will pardon the liberty I am taking of enclosing a letter to my brother, who is at present on his way from Lexington Ky to Petersburg, Va. The letter which I enclose will be useless unless it reach him before he gets to Petersburg & Monticello is the only place he has mentioned of his route. If G. P. has not yet reached Monticello, you will oblige me by keeping the letter for him; if he has already passed, by throwing it in the fire.   I am Sir,

with high consideration Respectfully Yours,

Thos H. Palmer

Thomas Jefferson to Thomas H. Palmer, 16 December 1816

To Thomas H. Palmer

Monticello Dec. 16. 16.

Th: Jefferson, with his respectful salutations to mr Palmer, returns him the inclosed letter, which has not been called for as mr Palmer expected.