'Great Conversations' series introduce rare artifacts

A nonprofit, educational foundation works to spark interest in civics and democracy, especially among young people.

Remnant Trust President Kris Bex said the group conducts a “Great Conversations” series  by introducing artifacts, such as a rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence and a 1789 rare edition of the U.S.  Constitution.

“Some of these documents have stood the test of time. Some of these documents have moved us forward for many years, hundreds of years and we can look to them as guideposts on how to move forward,”  Bex said.

Robert Woodson, a civil rights activist who worked with former Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith on attempts to improve marginalized neighborhoods, headlined a conversation Wednesday at the Columbia Club in downtown Indianapolis. 

“Talk about partly his project which is ‘1776 Unites,’ and it meshes nicely with the efforts of the trust,” Bex said..  “He’s looking at the great ideas from the past and helping us move forward.”
The event was free to high school and college students.

The Remnant Trust recently moved to Indianapolis from Texas Tech University and the documents used are housed primarily at the Indiana Historical Society.

A select few pieces are often on display at the Columbia Club, where the trust is headquartered.

Some of the documents in the collection include:

The Magna Carta, a 1350 early English edition
Frederick Douglass Autobiography, 1855
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriett Beecher Stowe, 1852
Declaration of Independence, 1776 (rare printing)
The Federalist Papers
The U.S. Constitution, Connecticut printing (1789 rare edition)
Particulars of the Late Duel, Fought at Hoboken, July 11, Between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, ESQRS. In which the Latter Unfortunately Fell. Containing All the Papers Relating to that Event, Together with the Will of Gen. Hamilton, and the Letters of Bishop Moore, and the Rev. J.M. Mason (1804)
The Institutes, John Calvin, 1536 edition
Second Treatise on Government, John Locke, 1694