Carolina Charles Pinckney. In A History of the Baptists, President Manning is reported to have played an inspirational role in persuading the Massachusetts ratifying convention to adopt the United States Constitution: When the Constitution of the United States was presented to the States for ratification it was doubtful whether it would pass. Massachusetts and Virginia were the pivotal States. Massachusetts was evenly divided and it was only through the labors of Manning, Stillman and Backus that the Constitution was adopted by that State. The majority was nineteen votes. There were 187 yeas and 168 nays on the last day of the session, and "before the final question was taken, Governor Hancock, the president, invited Dr. Manning to close the solemn invocation with prayer. The prayer was one of lofty patriotism and every heart was filled with reverence. Baptist ministry While serving as president of Brown, Manning was first the minister of the Baptist church in Warren, and then moved to become the minister of the First Baptist Church in America in Providence for the period of July 1771 through April 1791. Like the college, in 1774–1775, Manning led the church in building. Its present building was dedicated to "publick worship" and for "holding commencement in" 1775. Manning's nephew Stephen Gano became pastor in 1792. The President James Manning Medal The Brown University Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life annually awards a medal in honor of Manning to a member of the graduating class based upon the award description described in the nomination form: The President James Manning Medal is awarded to a [graduating senior] whose pursuit of excellence in the study and practice of religion is exemplary. This award is given in honor of Brown's first president, who exemplified the synthesis of intellectual precision and spiritual engagement. The academic study of religion enables students to become critical thinkers and move beyond personal piety into responsible leadership achieving a balance between the particularity of respective faith traditions and a sense of community and global responsibility. References External links Biographic Sketch at U.S. Congress website Encyclopedia Brunoniana Brown University's John Hay Library Brown University President's Office Brown University Charter History of the Baptists by Armitage A History of the Baptists Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in America Meeting House History 1738 births 1791 deaths American slave owners 18th-century Baptist ministers from the United States Clergy in the American Revolution