, 1923-09-11
The Greatest Human Document

That immortal document, the greatest in the
history of human ~government-the constitution
of the United States, was signed september ~
one hundred and t~hirty-six years ago. Ihat ms
toric event should be celebrated IN every Guy
village and hamlet in the land. The period, sep
tember 16 to % has been set aside Tor the pun.
pose and is to be known as Constitution week.
The story of the convention is too long ana
too complicated to be told in full. Many accounts
have been written, many hours have been de-
voted to its study.
While the delegates were assembling in In
dependence hall, Philadelphia, a few men under
the lead of Madison, met and drew up an out
line of the proposed document. This was the
Nvirginia" plan. Later delegates from the small
states met and drew up a second plan whlch
was the old Articles of Confederation with
amendments. This was called the New Jersey
plan. The convention voted to accept the VII
einia" plan, The Virginia plan followed closely
an outline prepared and published by Peletiah
Webster of Philadelphia, prior to the conven-
ton, and it is generally believed that this emf
nent Philadelphia lawyer was the most import
ant architect of our Constitution.
The constitution as finally adopted was the re-
suit Of several compromises; first, over repre-.
scntation in congress; second, over slaves; third
over an export tax, and, fourth the election OF
president by means of electors.
Some features were new, some drawn from eN-
perience under the old confederation. others
were borrowed from various state constitutions.
8 Among the most important new features were:
G)-The creation of n United States citizen
hid dS blttC titi"thohABv
(2)-The establishment Of a supreme court;
(3)-The limitation of the power of the states;
4)-The creation of an executive to enforce
the laws;
(5)-The provision that the constitution, the
acts of congress and treaties are "the supreme
law of the land"
The convention ended its work, and such as
were willing (forty in number) signed the doc
ument. The names of the original signers are i'm
mortal. Among them are: George Washington,
Rufus King, Roger Sherman, Alexander Hamil-
ton, william Livingston, Benjamin Franklin,
Robert Morris, JONES Madison, William Blount,
John Rutlidge and Charles Pinckney.
The only states that accepted it just as 1T
was framed were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut and Maryland.
Massachusetts,, South Carolina, New Hampshire,
New York and Virginia ratified with amend
ments. North Carolina ratified a year and two
months after the document was submitted and
Rhode Island two years and eight months after
submission.
The first ten amendments to the constitution
were proposed in the first congress, held in
New York city Wednesday, March A, 1899, and
were adopted by the necessary number of states.
They are called the "bill of rights" defining
more specifically the civic rights of citizens.
Since that time, nine more amendments have
been made to the original document. The
eleventh and twelfth amendments were adopted
within fifteen years after the original instru-
ment was framed.
The thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments resulted from the Civil War and
related to slavery and reconstruction.
The sixteenth amendment was the income tax
amendment, the first relating purely to eco
Monies. 1t went into effect February %, 1918.
The seventeenth amendment provided for the
election of United States senator's by the direct
votes of the people, instead of by state legisla-
lures. 1t went into effect AIny 81, 1913.
The eighteenth amendment relating to national
prohibition, went into effect January 16, 1920.
Early that year the validity of the amendment
was upheld by the United States supreme court
in suits to declare it void brought by the states
of Rhode Island and New Jersey, and by various
brewers and distillers.
The nineteenth amendment gave national suf.
frage to women. 1t went into effect August &c,
1920.
The American constitution is pronounced the
most remarkable political document ever evolved
from the mind of man. 1t has stood the test of
experience and stands forth as the bulwark of
human freedom and democracy within n repub.
lie.
From the beginning, there have been two
schools of Interpretation, one the strict con.
structionists, the other the broad and liberal
constructionists This division of opinion fin.
ally led 10 a great civil war, testing whether
that nation or any nation, SO conceived and so
dedicated can long endure"
Thus far, the constitution has been n beacon
light guiding the nation on its way. It has with.
stood all assaults against its fundamentals, al.
though amended several times to meet altered
conditions and promote progress.
II remains for this generation TO guard and
aelenu those fundamentals, Too often these do.