The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1947-04-23
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In 1886, a group of Americans
met in Annapolis to lay the
groundwork for the Constitution.
They failed because only five
states sent delegates. This did not
doom them to failure, however.
for the great patriot, Alexander
Hamilton, helped to snatch victory
out of defeat. He persuaded the
delegates to come to Philadelphia
the following May.
This time they did not fail.
Early in May of 1887 they troop
ed into the city of Philadelphia
= George Washington, James
Madison, Edmond Randolph, Rob
ert Morris, James Wilson, and
many other names of great histor-
ical prominence.
This group of men worked,
Ladies and Gentlemen. They look
ed into the future of this great
nation and saw its needs and
promises. They looked into the
past and saw how others had
met the similar problems. And so
- because they wanted the best
and with Gods help they wrote
and ratified:
1--WE, the people of the United
States, in order to form a more
perfect Union, establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, pro-
vide for the common defense, pro-
mote the general welfare, and to
secure the blessings of liberty to
ourselves and our posterity, do
ordain and establish this constitu-
ton for the United States of Am
erica" The divided the govern
mental agencies into three groups
- executive, judicial, and legis-
lative - each balancing and check
ing the other.
These great freedoms - 1, free
dom of conscience; 2, freedom
OF speech; 3, the freedom of the
press; and 4. the right to assem-
BILE and petition, to bear arms,
protection for persons and pro-
perty and the right to worship
God in your own way = these
freedoms were born at that con-
vention and became the touch
stone of the United States until
the evil days came upon us.
Even at the time of the writing
of the Constitution, there were
those in this country who were
holding their brothers in chains.
Your forefathers and mine were
denied those great freedoms.
There was no freedom for them
- there was no hope no re-
lease.
They needed a Moses and God
sent them one in the person OF
an humble unlettered man named,
Abraham Lincoln. He was born in
Kentucky and came up the hard |
way. He was plotting a boat down |
the Mississippi when he witness
ed the auction of slaves the |
selling of human beings. He then |
formed his opinions of slavery. He |
made a resolution that some day |
he would strike it and strike |
it hard Many people knew him
as Honest Abe. He was a store |
keeper and a lawyer He lived |
among the common people whom !
he loved. He had lofty and high |
ideals and the brains and pa
thence to see them realized. |
Though many disappointments and |
personal sacrifices he finally rose
to the highest position in the
United States - that of President. |
How did Lincoln feel toward
this great country and its consti-
tuition which he had been elected |
to interpret and defend? Well -
Lincoln believed that President
should first believe the constitu-
ton, second, understand it, third,
interpret it, and fourth, see that
it was enforced. AS he studied
and analysed, one thing became
evident to him that these
rights and privileges outlined in
the constitution did not extend
to every man. There were several
million black men who did not
they separte nd distinct? Was
there a black constitution and a
enjoy them. What of them? Were
white constitution? Or should it
apply to all? Lincoln decided that
it must apply to everybody. So =