Original Tennessee Constitutions on Display NASHVILLE, Tenn.
(AP) — Three versions of the original handwritten Tennessee
Constitution were carefully moved to the Tennessee Supreme Court
building Tuesday in preparation for their upcoming public
display. The documents were removed from a vault at the State
Library and Archives building and carried by hand in archival
boxes to the Supreme Court building. This is the first time that
all three documents — handwritten in 1796, 1834 and 1870 — will
be on display together. State Librarian and Archivist Chuck
Sherill says the 1796 version of Tennessee’s constitution was
ground-breaking for its time. “All freemen could vote, including
free blacks could vote which was not normal. There were no
property requirements for voting. The governor was elected
directly by the people, which was only true in four states all
together." The documents were escorted to the Supreme Court
building by a detail from the Tennessee Highway Patrol. The
public can view the original constituti