The Constitution

 I am going to begin this Blog by taking an in-depth look at the constitution.  I will take it one piece at a time and break it down from the preamble to the 27^th amendment.  I am going to do this in order by section and by amendment when I reach them. 

It is our duty as Americans to know what the Constitution means, what the writers meant, and what the correct interpretation of it is.  Today I am going to go into a bit of history.  The primary authors of the constitution were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.  The three men were the main writers, but it was a full convention of 55 delegates in 1787 who drafted the concepts and ideas of our constitution.  These men were tasked with writing a document which upheld the ideals that the revolution had been fought for but also would create stronger federal government that could withstand infighting among states and the pressures of operating on the international stage. 

Madison wrote the initial proposal for the Constitution, proposed the separations of the branches of the government, and set forth the idea of the Virginia Plan. The Virginia Plan is the plan that separated the legislature into two separate houses.  Madison contributed heavily to the drafting of the Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments to the Constitution designed to guarantee the Rights of Individuals and Limit the Powers of the Federal Government.

Hamilton was an outspoken Member of the delegation and believed that the Government needed to be strong enough to address any problems that may arise in the United States.  For this reason, he was a strong supporter of a strong Central Government.

Jay’s importance lay in his work to convince people that the strong central government was necessary to hold the country together.  He and Hamilton both came from New York and were outspoken delegates.

The three men worked together to pen the Federalist Papers.  The essays were used to persuade people to support the new Constitution.  Without the Federalist Papers, the Constitution would very likely have never been ratified.

Benjamin Franklin brought his genius at compromise to the Meetings and helped to bridge the many differences of opinion.  His great skill helped to craft the many compromises necessary to achieve a comprehensive document.

While those mentioned above certainly made major contributions to the writing of the Constitution, it is necessary to remember that all the members of the Constitutional Convention contributed to the document.  Without the input and time put in by every individual, the Constitution would not be the founding document of our nation.

The Constitution was not ratified until June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the last state to ratify the Law of the Land.  On December 7 of 1787, the first five states ratified the Constitution.  These states were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.

Several states opposed the Constitution.  Massachusetts, and several other states to lesser degrees, did not want to ratify the constitution without the expressed protection of basic rights such as religion, freedom of speech and the press.  A compromise was reached whereby the constitution would be amended immediately after ratification to include these important items. Upon this compromise Maryland, Massachusetts and South Carolina ratified. 

On March 4, 1789, the United States under the newly minted constitution began operation. The following July New York and Virginia ratified and joined the Union. 

On September 25, 1789, the new Congress adopted 12 amendments to the constitution, 10 of which were ratified by the states in 1791. In November of 1789, the state of North Carolina became the 12^th state to ratify the constitution. 

Rhode Island still held misgivings regarding the Constitution.  The state was against federal control of currency and compromises on the issue of slavery.  They finally ratified on May 29, 1790, and became the last of the 13 original colonies to officially join the United States. 

Since the 13 original states, 37 states have been added to the United States and 27 amendments have been added to the constitution.  The Constitution has been the basis for every law in the United States.  The operation of our government runs as it does because of our Constitution. 

But what does it say?  Why does it cause so much controversy?  Is it up for interpretation or is there a hard and fast rule for reading this amazing document.  Stay tuned.

A&E Television Networks. (n.d.). U.S. Constitution ratified | June 21, 1788. History.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-constitution-ratified