I always talk about how important printing and typography are, and here’s a perfect example. Monday is Constitution Day–a day to celebrate the rights guaranteed American citizens by some very important ink and paper that got together over 120 years ago.
Although it’s been taking quite a beating lately, the U.S. Constitution still guarantees us freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and the freedom to play the Amy Winehouse loud enough to loosen your fillings. Do we live in a great country, or what?
In honor of Constitution day, here’s a nice video that actually shows in detail how the Declarartion of Independence and Constitution were printed in Benjamin Franklin’s print shop. I’m sure my typography students recognize the typeface and the discretionary ligatures. If you’re feeling inspired, here’s a link to Archiving Early America, where you can download JPGs and text files of the Constitution.
