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#025 - Writing the Constitution, Part 9

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THEMAKINGOFANATION#25-WritingtheConstitution,Part9ByChristineJohnson

Broadcast:August19,2003
(THEME
VOICEONE:
THEMAKINGOFANATION--aprograminSpecialEnglishbytheVoiceofAmerica.
(THEME
InMayofSeventeen-Eighty-Seven,agroupofAmerica'searlyleadersmetinPhiladelphia.TheyplannedtochangetheArticlesofConfederation,whichprovidedalooseunionofthethirteenAmericanstates.Insteadofchanges,however,theywroteacompletelynewConstitution.ThatpoliticaldocumentestablishedAmerica'ssystemofgovernmentandguaranteedtherightsofitscitizens.Itisstillthelawoftheland.
I'mMauriceJoyce.Today,ShepO’NealandIcompletethestoryoftheConstitution.
VOICETWO:
Lastweek,wetoldhowtheconventiondiscussedthedifficultissueofslavery.SlaveryaffectedthedecisiononhowtocountthepopulationforpurposesofrepresentationinCongress.ItalsoaffectedthepowersproposedfortheCongress.Theconventionacceptedseveralpoliticalcompromisesontheissue.
Onecompromisewasthe'three-fifths'rule.Thepopulationwouldbecountedeverytenyearstodecidehowmanyrepresentativeseachstatewouldhave.ThedelegatesagreedthateveryfiveNegroslaveswouldbecountedasthreepersons.
AnothercompromisepermittedstatestoimportslavesuntiltheyearEighteen-Oh-Eight.Afterthat,nonewslavescouldbebroughtintothecountry.
ManyofthedelegatesinPhiladelphiadidnotlikethesecompromises.Buttheyknewthecompromiseskeptthesouthernstatesfromleavingtheconvention.Withoutthem,asonedelegatesaid,nounioncouldbeformed.

VOICEONE:
Afterallthedebates,bitterarguments,andcompromises,thedelegateswerenearingtheendoftheirwork.Fourmonthshadpassedsincetheconventionbegan.Theweatherhadbeenhot.Emotionshadbeenhot,too.Butthatwasexpected.ForthemeninPhiladelphiaweredecidingthefutureoftheircountry.
EarlyinSeptember,theconventionappointedfivementoaCommitteeofStyle.Itwastheirjobtowritethedocumentcontainingalltheconvention'sdecisions.WilliamSamuelJohnsonofConnecticutwaschairmanofthecommittee.TheothermemberswereAlexanderHamiltonofNewYork,GouverneurMorrisofPennsylvania,RufusKingofMassachusetts,andJamesMadisonofVirginia.
Ofthesefivemen,GouverneurMorriswasknownforthebeautyofhislanguage.SoJudgeJohnsonaskedhimtowritetheConstitution.
VOICETWO:
Theconventionapprovedtwenty-threeparts,orarticles,fortheConstitution.GouverneurMorrisre-wrotetheminamoresimpleform,sotherewerejustseven.
ArticleOnedescribesthepowersoftheCongress.Itexplainshowtocountthepopulationforpurposesofrepresentation.Anditsayswhocanbecomesenatorsorrepresentatives,andhowlongtheycanserve.
ArticleTwodescribesthepowersofthepresident.Itexplainswhocanbepresident.Andittellshowheistobeelected.
ArticleThreedescribesthepowersofthefederaljudiciary.
Thefirstthreearticlesprovideasystemof'checksandbalances'.Thepurposeistopreventanyofthethreebranchesofgovernment--legislative,executive,andjudicial--frombecomingtoopowerful.
VOICEONE:
ArticleFourexplainstherightsanddutiesofthestatesunderthenewcentralgovernment.ArticleFiveprovidesasystemforamendingtheConstitution.ArticleSixdeclarestheConstitutiontobethehighestlawoftheland.AndArticleSevensimplysaystheConstitutionwillbeestablishedwhenninestatesapproveit.
Inadditiontothesevenarticles,theConstitutioncontainsanopeningstatement,orpreamble.

Theconventionprepareditsownpreamble.Itbegan,"WetheundersigneddelegatesofthestatesofNewHampshire,Massachusetts..."andsoon.Anditlistedallthirteenstatesbyname.
VOICETWO:
TheCommitteeofStyledidnotthinkitwasagoodideatolisteachstate.Afterall,RhodeIslandneversentadelegatetoPhiladelphia.AndnooneknewforsureifeverystatewouldapprovetheConstitution.
So,GouverneurMorriswrotedowninstead,"WethePeopleoftheUnitedStatesofAmerica..."
Thosesimplewordssolvedthecommittee'sproblem.WhosuspectedtheywouldcauseangrydebateduringthefighttoapprovetheConstitution?Fortheymadeclearthatthepowerofthecentralgovernmentcamenotfromthenation'sstates,butdirectlyfromitscitizens.
VOICEONE:
TherestofthepreamblesayswhytheConstitutionwaswritten.
'...inordertoformamoreperfectunion,establishjustice,guaranteepeaceathome,provideforthecommondefense,workforthewell-beingofall,andholdontotheblessingsoflibertyforourselvesandourchildren...'.
Thenextstepwastosignthedocument.
VOICETWO:
OnSeptemberSeventeenth,thedelegatesgatheredforthelasttime.Onemightthinkalltheirbusinessfinallywasdone.ButNathanielGorhamofMassachusettsrosetospeak.
"Ifitisnottoolate,"hesaid,"Iwouldliketomakeachange.WehaveagreedthatoneCongressmanwillrepresenteveryforty-thousandpersons.Ithinkthatnumbershouldbethirty-thousand.
Gorham'sproposalcouldhavecausedabitterargument.Then,suddenly,GeorgeWashingtonstoodup.Thedelegatesweresurprised,becausehehadsaidlittleallsummer."Now,"Washingtonsaid,"Imustspeakoutinsupportoftheproposedchange.Itwillguaranteeagreatervoiceinthegovernmentforthepeopleofthenation."GeneralWashington'sinfluencewasstrong.Everydelegateagreedtoaccept

thechange.
VOICEONE:
Finally,itwastimetosigntheConstitution.Italsowasthelastchancetospeakagainstit.ManydelegatesdidnotlikeallpartsoftheConstitution.Theystatedtheirobjections.Yet,theydeclared,forthegoodofthenation,theywouldsign.

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