History101 US Constitution Notes (For Quiz 4) PDF

US Constitution Notes (For Quiz 4) FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE US CONSTITUTION, pgs. 25-29 The U.S. Constitution has 4,440 words. ○ It is the oldest and the shortest written constitution of any major government in the world. Of the spellin...

US Constitution Notes (For Quiz 4) FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE US CONSTITUTION, pgs. 25-29 The U.S. Constitution has 4,440 words. ○ It is the oldest and the shortest written constitution of any major government in the world. Of the spelling errors in the Constitution, "Pensylvania" above the signers' names is probably the most glaring. Thomas Jefferson did not sign the Constitution. He was in France during the Convention, where he served as the U.S. minister. ○ John Adams was serving as the U.S. minister to Great Britain during the Constitutional Convention and did not attend either. The Constitution was "penned" by Jacob Shallus, a Pennsylvania General Assembly clerk, for $30 ($1,027 today). Since 1952, the Constitution has been on display in the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.. ○ Currently, all 4 pages are displayed behind protective glass framed with titanium. ○ To preserve the parchment's quality, the cases contain argon gas and are kept at 67 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 40 percent. Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17, the anniversary of the day the framers signed the document. The Constitution does not set forth requirements for the right to vote. As a result, at the outset of the Union, only male property-owners could vote, African Americans were not considered citizens, and women were excluded from the electoral process. ○ Native Americans were not given the right to vote until 1924. James Madison, "the father of the Constitution," was one of the first to arrive in Philadelphia for the Constitutional Convention. ○ Arrived in early May bearing the blueprint for the new Constitution. Of the 42 delegates who attended most of the meetings, 39 actually signed the Constitution. ○ Edmund Randolph & George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts refused to sign due in part to the lack of a bill of rights. When it came time for the states to ratify the Constitution, the lack of any bill of rights was the primary sticking point. The Great Compromise saved the Constitutional Convention, and, probably, the Union. Authored by Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman, it called for proportional representation in the House, and 1 representative per state in the Senate (this was later changed to 2.) ○ The compromise passed 5-to-4, with one state, Massachusetts, "divided." Patrick Henry was elected as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, but declined, because he "smelt a rat." Because of his poor health, Benjamin Franklin needed help to sign the Constitution. As he did so, tears streamed down his face.  Gouverneur Morris was largely responsible for the "wording" of the Constitution, although there was a Committee of Style formed in September 1787. The oldest person to sign the Constitution was Benjamin Franklin (81). The youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey (26). When the Constitution was signed, the US population was 4 million. It is now more than 334 million. ○ Philadelphia was the nation's largest city, with 40,000 inhabitants. A proclamation by President George Washington and a congressional resolution established the first national Thanksgiving Day on November 26, 1789. ○ The reason for the holiday was to give "thanks" for the new Constitution. The first time the formal term "The United States of America" was used was in the Declaration of Independence. It took 100 days to actually "frame" the Constitution. There was initially a question as to how to address the President. The Senate proposed that he be addressed as "His Highness the President of the United States of America and Protector of their Liberties." Both the House of Representatives and the Senate compromised on the use of "President of the United States." James Wilson originally proposed the President be chosen by popular vote, but the delegates agreed (after 60 ballots) on a system known as the Electoral College. Although there have been 500 proposed amendments to change it, this "indirect" system of electing the president is still intact. George Washington and James Madison were the only presidents who signed the Constitution. In November of 1788 the Congress of the Confederation adjourned and left the US without a central government until April 1789. ○ That is when the first Congress under the new Constitution convened with its first quorum. James Madison was the only delegate to attend every meeting. He took detailed notes of the various discussions and debates that took place during the convention. ○ The journal that he kept during the Constitutional Convention was kept secret until after he died. It (along with other papers) was purchased by the government in 1837 at a price of $30,000 ($841,000 today). ○ The journal was published in 1840. Although Benjamin Franklin's mind remained active, his body was deteriorating. He was in constant pain because of gout and having a stone in his bladder, and he could barely walk. He would enter the convention hall in a sedan chair carried by 4 prisoners from the Walnut Street jail in Philadelphia. As Benjamin Franklin left the Pennsylvania State House after the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, he was approached by the wife of the mayor of Philadelphia. She was curious as to what the new government would be. Franklin replied, "A republic, madam. If you can keep it." On March 24, 1788, a popular election was held in Rhode Island to determine the ratification status of the new Constitution. ○ The vote was 237 in favor and 2,945 opposed!  The members of the first Congress of the US included 54 who were delegates to the Constitutional Convention or delegates to the various state-ratifying who opposed ratification. ○ The number also included 7 delegates who opposed ratification. Vermont ratified the Constitution on January 10, 1791, even though it had not yet become a state. The word "democracy" does not appear once in the Constitution. There was a proposal at the Constitutional Convention to limit the standing army for the country to 5,000 men. ○ George Washington sarcastically agreed with this proposal as long as a stipulation was added that no invading army could number more than 3,000 troops! John Adams referred to the Constitution as "the greatest single effort of national deliberation that the world has ever seen" and George Washington wrote to the Marquis de Lafayette that "It (the Constitution) appears to me, then, little short of a miracle." The Pennsylvania State House (where the Constitutional Convention took place) was where George Washington was appointed the commander of the Continental Army in 1775 and where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. It was also where the Articles of Confederation were adopted as our first constitution in 1781. To amend the Constitution, a proposal must gain the support of 2/3 of the House and Senate, and 3/4 of the states. ○ As a result, of the thousands of proposed amendments, only 27 have passed. Amendments must be proposed either by a 2/3 vote in Congress, or by Constitutional Convention. Such a convention can only be held if 2/3 of the states' legislatures support it. During an event to celebrate the Constitution's Sesquicentennial in 1937, Harry F. Wilhelm recited the entire document through the newly added 21st Amendment from memory. He then obtained a job in the Sesquicentennial mailroom! AMENDMENTS PROPOSED BUT NEVER RATIFIED, pg. 57 One of the enduring features of our Constitution is its flexibility ○ At the time of its ratification, US population was ~4 million (334+ million today) ○ From the time of its adoption (1787?), the Constitution has changed 27 times Since 1791 (with Bill of Rights included) it has only changed 17 times– extraordinarily, in the light of radical shifts in technology, infrastructure, population, and other changes that have occurred in this country during the last 200 some years Framers of the Constitution realized that no document could cover all changes that would take place in the future ○ To ensure its longevity, they developed procedures for amending it To pass an amendment, a number of steps must be taken as outlined in Article V of the Constitution  The article provides 2 methods for proposal & 2 methods for ratification of an amendment An amendment may be proposed by a 2/3 vote of the House of Representatives & the Senate or a national convention called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures The latter procedure has never been used The amendment may then be ratified by 3/4 of the state legislatures (38 states) or special conventions called by the 3/4 of the states The 21st amendment was the only one to be adopted this way It is within the power of Congress to decide which ratification method will be used The time limit for the ratification process of 7 years was first applied to the 18th amendment ○ There have been 10,000+ amendments proposed in Congress since 1789 Less than 1% have received enough support to go through constitutional ratification process FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE SUPREME COURT, pgs. 77-78 When the 1st secession of the Court convened in 1790, the tradition of justices wearing wigs still lingered ○ Justice William Cushing was the only justice to arrive wearing the white wig he wore on the Massachusetts bench ○ The ribbing he took from boys outside the court turned the tide against the headgear, & he took Thomas Jefferson’s advice: “For heaven’s sake, discard the monstrous wig which makes the English judges look like rats peeping through bunches of oakum.” During the Supreme Court’s first term (1790) it had no docket & made no decisions ○ When the nation’s capital moved to Washington, D.C. in 1800, it did not even have a courtroom ○ Congress provided a small committee room in the Capitol basement, where the Court remained until the Civil War 1789: chief justice’s salary was $4,000 & associate justices was $3,500 ○ 2023: chief justice’s salary is $298,000 & associate justices is $285,400 The “conference handshake” tradition began with Chief Justice Melville W. Fuller in the late 1800s ○ Before taking their seats at the bench, each justice shakes hands with the others ○ The practice was a way to remind justices that they share a common purpose although different opinions William O Douglas was the longest serving justice who retired in November 1975 after 36 years & 6 months on the bench ○ John Rutledge had the briefest Court tenure  Appointed chief justice and served for 4 months, at which point the Senate rejected his nomination Samuel Chase was the only Supreme Court justice to be impeached ○ The politically motivated charges failed in the Senate, however, in 1805 A Supreme Court term begins on the first Monday in October & runs through late June or early July ○ The term is divided between “sittings” for case hearings & opinion delivering, and intervening “recesses” for consideration of the business before the Court & opinion writing Sittings & recesses alternate every 2 weeks or so George Washington appointed the most Supreme Court justices (11) ○ Franklin D. Roosevelt came close with 9 appointments 2 Supreme Court justices have been featured on U.S. currency: ○ Salmon P. Chase on the $10,000 bill ○ John Marshall on the $500 bill Marshall was replaced by William McKinley (25th president) until bills were discontinued in 1969 William H. Taft was the only president to also serve as a Supreme Court justice Justice Byron (“Whizzer”) White is the only justice in the College Football HoF Youngest Supreme Court appointee– Joseph Story (32) ○ Oldest sitting justice– Oliver Wendell Holmes, who served until he was 90 Jimmy Carter is the only president to serve a full term without nominating a Supreme Court justice Of all 1-term presidents, Taft appointed the most Supreme Court justices (6)