The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-07-23
Written for the ADvocAh
MI. American Union and the Cdnsti
tuition.

zorro settled unueT CudIIeLS SIdHtt "
,ho English sovereigns to certaiQ in
,1i,;duals or companies. These chaI teri
moro based on the absolute principle o
eminent, viz: that the English SOW
ereians was the absolute posseSser o
ounoIitical power. Owing to the fac
tbot England, France, Spain and omC
other European nations, were all U ing
70 take possession of as large psft o
America as possible, each nation vas
N order to establish powerful cold hes
generally inclined to be liberal with il
colonists. The charters granted "a the
English soyereigns, in particular, Fer(
"a very liberal nature, and in reality
0ronted far more freedom TO the people
eefibe colonies than was enjoyed by the
English people themselves. But, when
i I763 France relinquirhed all her
Northern possessions in Amerlc,' to
EngIand. that naughty tyrant George
tbn III discovered that the people OF
,be colonies enjoyed far too NJ ach
liberty. and the English govern1 ent
Immediately began to encroach \ BON
M chartered rights Of the colonies,
but the people of the colonies had
bean gradually educated in the great
art Of self government, and they were
not disposed to tamelx. submit to the
cncroachments Of arbitrary powers.
Accordingly they began to discuss the
onestion ofrights in their Local Assem-
bIies and Colonial Legislatures. for
several wears this discussion went d as
4 local question, bat as the English
government still persisted in its abb
Ifrary course, the necessity for a union
oft6e colonies became fully apparent.
IN 1774 the first Continental Congress,
composed Of Representatives ftom
Twelve of the colonies, assembled in
Philadelphia for the purpose OF forming
4 Union of all the colonies, to resist
the invasion of their chartered rights.
The American Union may be saiCI to
have been created at that time. The
first year Of the revolutionary war was
fought in defense of the chartered
rights Of the colonies, and 1t was only
when the Congress Of the Confederation
pIainly saw that the British govern
ment was determined to reduce them to
the condition of vassals or slaves, that
they resolved on the bold plan Of de-
claring the colonies free and indepen-
dent states.
The Declaration Of Independence is
one of the ablcst political documents
that ever cmanted from the pen Of
mortal man, 1t declares in emphatic
language "That all men are erected
equal; that they are endowed by taeir
creator with certain uualienable rid PITT,
that among these are life, liberty hnd
the pursuit of happiness. That 4 Sc
cure these rights governments arb in
stituted among men, deriving theiTjust
powers from the consent Of the govern
ed" The PRONUNCIATION Of this Dcclar-
alton of the Rights of Man, at once at
tracted the attention of the lovers Vi lib
erty, throughout the world, to the :har-
acter of the struggle going on between
England and her colonies, and it 1llist-
ed the sympathies and active assisf ance
Of several eminent foreigners. The
Marquis De Lafayette was the.most
eminent foreigner that espousea the
American cause, and as his esPousal
was, in all probability, the caute of
France doing the same, the weight Of
his word may be said to have decided
the contest in favor Of liberty.
In III the Congress drew u the
Articles of Confederation AMI submit
ted them to the several States for rati-
fcation. But the States were SLOW p
bout adopting them, and they wed not
finally adopted until 1881. In I'D 3 the
treaty Of peace was signed AMI the
United States were acknowledged to
be free and independent States IN the
treaty Of peace each State was named
separately, which shows that it WIS not
intended by England to acknowledge
nem as a nation, but as thirteen spar
ate States
After the treaty Of peace, the Con
gress CT the Confederation cont Iued
TO hold sessions, but its cnactn ents
could not be considered laws, f)r ihere
was no Executive power to EN- orce
them. The Congress made requist ions
upon the States, and the States com lled
or not az they pleased. This stte Of
things continued for four years. Con
gross then called for a convention of
delegates from ali the States for the
purpose Of reriSing the articles Of Con-
federation, and il was for this purpose
The convention of 1897, met i'll Phila-
delphia.
The convention Of 1887 wash COM
posed Of very able men, and the soon
came 10 the conclusion that a md Re re-
vision of the Articles Of Confederation
would not be sufficient Washington
In particular saw that there was one
point which must be cached in. order
TO establish a government. The gov
eminent must act upon the individual
directly, instead Of acting up1n the
people as organized communities or
States. Hence it became necessai ~ "to
form more perfect union," an that
more perfect union is not mere con
iederacy Of States, but il, also a union
OF the people of the United States, as
an association Of individuals. Tbe Con
Nention in making the Constitution,
spoke IN the name Of the People of the
United States. 1t matters not whether
..ney had the authority to do so II not,
lnasmuch rs they submitted their work
70 the people Of the several States for
uhelr ratification, and unless the lStates
q whose name they were author zcd 70
ACT ratified their action, it W Is not
pmdng upon any Of them. Th4 mem
OerS OF the Convention saw the sneces-
ny Of acting in the name Of tn peo-
PIE as individuals, ana they took the re-
possibility f so acting.
Inc Constitution Of the United State
Geh, Is a contract between thIEe par.
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