Jonah Patel
The original US Constitution was transcribed by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania Assistant Clerk, in 1787. Shallus wrote the document on four pieces of animal skin using iron gall ink and a quill, likely a goose quill. The font used in the original document is known as Roundhand, a variant of English round-hand, which is more commonly known as copperplate today. The We the People font is an attempt to recreate the original font used in the US Constitution. The font is free for personal use and can be downloaded online.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | We The People |
| Variations | We The People Upright, We The People Upright Bold |
| Font Similarity | The font is similar to the calligraphy in the US Constitution |
| License | Licensed typeface available from k-type.com |
| Use Case | Free for personal use, public charities, museums, libraries, students, teachers, and educational institutions |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was written using a quill on animal skin
- The font is called Roundhand, a variant of English round-hand
- The font American Scribe is made to resemble the handwriting in the constitution
- The We the People font is based on the calligraphy in the constitution
- The constitution's font has a distinctive backslant
The US Constitution was written using a quill on animal skin
The US Constitution was handwritten with a quill on parchment, which is a general term for animal skin that has been prepared for writing or printing. Parchment has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for over two millennia. The US Constitution was transcribed onto parchment by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania Assistant Clerk, over a weekend in 1787. Shallus was paid $30, which was a modest monthly wage at the time. The process of preparing animal skin for writing is quite involved. First, the skin is removed from the animal, and any hair or flesh is cleaned away. Then, the skin is stretched on a wooden frame. While it is stretched, the surface of the skin is scraped with a special curved knife, and it is alternately wetted and dried to bring it to the right thickness and tautness. Finally, the surface of the skin is prepared to accept ink, sometimes using pumice and chalk.
The US Constitution was not written using a specific font, as it was handwritten. However, the calligraphy of the document was based on German Text and Square Text exemplars from George Bickham's penmanship copybooks. The "We the People" font available on dafont.com is based on the calligraphy of the handwritten US Constitution preamble. This font is free for personal use and can be used freely by students, teachers, and educational institutions. Additionally, it can be used without licensing by public charities, museums, and libraries. For designers using OpenType-aware applications, the typeface includes some alternates, such as a Bickham-style "W" and two simpler forms of the letter "A."
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The font is called Roundhand, a variant of English round-hand
The font you may be referring to is called "We The People", which is a typeface extrapolated from the calligraphy of the handwritten US Constitution Preamble. This font was created based on German Text and Square Text exemplars from George Bickham's penmanship copybooks. The "We The People Upright" and "We The People Upright Bold" variations are also available, which have a vertical aspect that may be more appealing for graphic design layouts. This font is free for personal use and can be freely used by educational institutions.
It is important to note that the US Constitution was entirely handwritten by a calligrapher, and no fonts were used in its creation. As such, the "We The People" font is an imitation of the calligraphy style used in the Constitution.
Another font that resembles the handwriting in the US Constitution is "American Scribe". This font was designed to mimic the calligraphy in the document, and a similar font is "Declaration Pro" by P22 Type Foundry, which is derived from the calligraphy in the Declaration of Independence.
While these fonts are designed to resemble the calligraphy of the US Constitution, they are not exact replicas. The unique and individual style of the calligrapher who penned the original Constitution contributes to its distinct appearance.
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The font American Scribe is made to resemble the handwriting in the constitution
The U.S. Constitution was handwritten by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania Assistant Clerk, in 1787. Shallus was a clerk for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and he was paid $30 for his work, which equates to approximately $880 in today's money. As the Constitution was handwritten, no font was used in its creation. However, there are now fonts available that are designed to mimic the style of the Constitution's calligraphy.
One such font is American Scribe, which is made to resemble the handwriting in the Constitution. American Scribe is a commercial font, meaning it requires a license to use. For those seeking a free alternative, the US Declaration font is available for personal use, and its designer only requests an email for commercial use.
Another option is the "We the People" font, which is also designed to mimic the calligraphy of the Constitution's preamble. This font is available from k-type.com and includes two additional fonts with a vertical aspect: "We The People Upright" and "We The People Upright Bold". The original, backslanted version is free for personal use and can be used freely by students, teachers, schools, colleges, universities, and educational institutions.
While these fonts are useful tools for those seeking to replicate the look of the Constitution, it is worth noting that the creation of the document was a handcrafted process involving calligraphy and penmanship. As such, no exact font set called "US Constitution" exists.
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The We the People font is based on the calligraphy in the constitution
The United States Constitution was handwritten and calligraphic in its original form, and no fonts were used in its creation. However, the We the People font is based on the calligraphy found in the Constitution's preamble. This typeface was extrapolated from the 'We the People' calligraphy, which was based on German Text and Square Text exemplars from George Bickham's penmanship copybooks. The most celebrated of these copybooks is 'The Universal Penman', published in 1743.
The original Constitution was transcribed by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania Assistant Clerk, over a weekend in 1787. Shallus was paid $30, which was a modest monthly wage at the time. Shallus' biographer, Arthur Plotnik, suggests that the calligraphic headings may have been inserted by Shallus' 14-year-old trainee son, Francis. The unconventional backslant of the headings and the manner in which they are squeezed into the space support this contention.
The We the People font family includes the original, backslanted version, as well as two additional fonts with a vertical aspect: 'We The People Upright' and 'We The People Upright Bold'. These fonts retain the distinctive style while offering a heavier weight that adds punch. The original backslanted font is free for personal use and can be freely used by students, teachers, and educational institutions. It is also available for free use by public charities, museums, and libraries without licensing.
The We the People font is a modern interpretation of the calligraphy found in the US Constitution, specifically the 'We the People' heading. It captures the elegance and uniqueness of the original calligraphy while providing a digital version that can be easily used and accessed by anyone, especially those in the educational and charitable sectors.
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The constitution's font has a distinctive backslant
The US Constitution was handwritten, and no fonts were used in its creation. However, the calligraphy in the document has inspired several typefaces, such as "We The People", which is available for free for personal use. This font is based on the "We the People" calligraphy in the US Constitution Preamble, which was based on German Text and Square Text exemplars from George Bickham's penmanship copybooks. The "We The People" font includes two additional fonts with a vertical aspect that may be more appealing to designers who find the backslant awkward or unpleasant. These are "We The People Upright" and "We The People Upright Bold", which retain the distinctive style of the original backslanted font.
The "We The People" font family is not the only typeface inspired by the US Constitution. The font "American Scribe" is also made to resemble the handwriting in the document, and "P22 Declaration" was conceived to be an exact copy, including the sizes. "Declaration Pro" by P22 Type Foundry is another similar font, derived from the calligraphy in the Declaration of Independence.
It is worth noting that the original US Constitution was penned by Jacob Shallus, a clerk for the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and it took him several days to complete. Shallus was paid $30 for his work, which was a modest monthly wage at the time, equivalent to about $880 in today's money. Shallus's biographer, Arthur Plotnik, suggests that the calligraphic headings may have been inserted by Shallus's 14-year-old trainee son, Francis. The unconventional backslant of these headings seems to support this theory.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written in a variant of English round-hand, known today as "copperplate". It was penned with a quill on four pieces of animal skin using iron gall ink.
Yes, the "We the People" font by K-Type is based on the US Constitution's script. It is free for personal use and can be used by students, teachers, public charities, museums, and libraries without licensing.
The script features an unconventional backslant and elegant wavy t, h, and l letters. The "Article" headings are squeezed into a small space, suggesting that they may have been written by a novice.
