The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-11-13

GOVERNMENT
APatriOtiC Lesson OF Three
Chapters
For Young Folks and Older
Folks to Read and Re-
member.
Chapter |.

l. Nnen Was our republic IOr meu.
More than a hundred years ago,
after the War of the Revolution.
.. What is the Union?
The uniting of several States into
one country is called Union. These
forty-five American States have
chosen to unite themselves in this
manner. This union is called the
United States of America. Another
name for it is the Great Republic
3. When was the Union formed?
At the close of the Revolutionary
War.
4. How many States formed the
original Union?
Thirteen.
5. What were they?
New II mpshire, Massachusetts,,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Geor-
gia.
8. How were the other thirty-two
States formed
At the time of the formation of the
i Union several of the States owned
large tracts of land that were but
thinly settled, and other large tracts
have since been acquired by the
United States. As fast as portions of
this country large enough for a State
became thickly enough settled, a
State government was formed and
the new State admitted to the Union.
| z. What is the Constitution of the
United States?
The people of the forty-ive States
have entered into a solemn agree
ment, to establish government
which all will support, obey and de
fend; to do their business with one
another, and to regulate their con
duct toward one another, and their
conduct toward all other peoples in
the world, according to the require
ments of document called The Con.
stitution of the United States.
8. What is the Nation?
All these people in these forty-fivt
Estates, that is the sixty-seven mil.
lions of inhabitants in this country
of ours, taken together, form what
is known as The Nation. In Other
countries the Emperor, the King ol
the Queen is known to the people a,
Sovereign, and in those countries the
lSovereign represents the Nation. II
the United States The Nation is the
lSovereign, and this is why we Otter
speak of the Sovereign People. In
this country. therefore. the govern
ment is but the machinery through
which, or by which, the Nation rules
/ 9. What six objects are expressed
in the Constitution of the United
States?
! The American Nation, speaking ir
all it's majesty and power in this Con,
stitution, says: I'VE the people oi
the United States, in order to form d
more perfect Union, establish Justice
Insure domestic tranquility, provide
for the common defense, promote
the general welfare, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity, do ordain and es'
tablish this Constitution for the
United States of America"
Is. When and where did the Con.
stitutional Convention meet.
The Constitutional Convention met
from May to the middle of Septem-
Der, 1877. The place of meeting was
at Independence Hall, Philadelphia.
Il. Why was it necessary to make
a new Constitution.
Because the articles of Confedera
tion did not give enough power to
the central government.
IL. What leading men were most
instrumental in bringing the Conven-
tion togetherg
Washington, Hamilton and Madi-
son.
l3. What was the character of the
men composing the Convention?
The greater part of them were of
Puritan ancestry; more than half of
them had received a college educa-
: ton; all but twelve of them had 1T
some time been members of the Con-
tinental Congress, eight had signed
the Declaration of Independence;
three had been members of the Stamp
Act Congress; Franklin the oldest
member, had been the leading spirit
in the Albany Convention of 1854.
IA. Where did they get the exper-
fence and wisdom that enabled them
to make constitution so perfect?
From the time that the Puritans
formed and signed the May Flower
compact to the time when the Colo
mics became states, the people had