Did Alexander Hamilton Spell Pennsylvania Wrong In The Constitution?

The Constitution is not the only place where Pennsylvania is spelled with one less “n.” Some maps made at the time also featured this spelling (via Geographicus). The Liberty Bell also has the same spelling that Alexander Hamilton used in the Constitution (via the National Science Foundation). This misspelling is even more interesting, because it would’ve taken more effort than a missed pen stroke while writing. 

Another case of misspelling Pennsylvania was committed by Benjamin Franklin, although it was intentional. According to Seymour Stanton Block’s 2004 biography “Benjamin Franklin, Genius of Kites, Flights and Voting Rights,” “[Franklin] purposely spelled Pennsylvania a different way on each denomination bill: Pennsylvania, Pensylvania, Pennsilvania, and Pensilvania.” Benjamin Franklin’s intentional misspelling of the state name on bills was one of many clever ideas Franklin had, used as a clever anti-counterfeiting measure, but what about these other misspellings? Were they mistakes, or were they too intentional?

ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnlJ6xbq3Lnq%2BappSav260wKagpayfo3q0vMSlo2aolaO7tMXLr5inoZFixLO7zaBkoqZdqbWmecKopaysmanCtbXOp2Y%3D