Título: Elbridge Gerry
Seção: United States House of Representatives
Background: Elbridge Gerry was born on July 17, 1744, in Marblehead, Massachusetts. His father, Thomas Gerry, was a merchant operating ships out of Marblehead, and his mother, Elizabeth (Greenleaf) Gerry, was the daughter of a successful Boston merchant. Gerry's first name came from John Elbridge, one of his mother's ancestors. Gerry's parents had eleven children in all, although only five survived to adulthood.

Conteúdo: Anti-Federalist forces nominated Gerry for governor in 1788, but he was predictably defeated by the popular incumbent John Hancock. Following ratification, Gerry recanted his opposition to the Constitution, noting that a number of state ratifying conventions had called for amendments that he supported. He was nominated by friends (over his own opposition to the idea) for a seat in the inaugural House of Representatives, where he then served two terms.  In June 1789 Gerry proposed that Congress consider all of the proposed constitutional amendments that various state ratifying conventions had called for (notably those of Rhode Island and North Carolina, which had at the time still not ratified the constitution). In the debate that followed, he led opposition to some of the proposals, arguing that they did not go far enough in ensuring individual liberties. He successfully lobbied for inclusion of freedom of assembly in the First Amendment, and was a leading architect of the Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure. He sought unsuccessfully to insert the word "expressly" into the Tenth Amendment, which might have more significantly limited the federal government's power. He was successful in efforts to severely limit the federal government's ability to control state militias. In tandem, with this protection, he had once argued against the idea of the federal government controlling a large standing army, comparing it - most memorably and mischievously - to a stand

user: What did this mean

assistant: Anti-Federalist forces nominated Gerry for governor in 1788,

user: What did this lead too

assistant: Gerry recanted his opposition to the Constitution, noting that a number of state ratifying conventions had called for amendments that he supported.

user: What needed to change

assistant: He was nominated by friends (over his own opposition to the idea) for a seat in the inaugural House of Representatives, where he then served two terms.

user: What did this mean for his party

assistant: Gerry proposed that Congress consider all of the proposed constitutional amendments that various state ratifying conventions

user: What did this equal

assistant: In the debate that followed, he led opposition to some of the proposals, arguing that they did not go far enough in ensuring individual liberties.

user: What does this mean

assistant: Rhode Island and North Carolina, which had at the time still not ratified the constitution). In the debate that followed,

user: What is this the wrong

assistant: He successfully lobbied for inclusion of freedom of assembly in the First Amendment, and was a leading architect of the Fourth Amendment protections against search and seizure.