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ceffary, shall propose amendments to this conftitution, or, on the application of the legislatures of two thirds of the feveral States, shall call a convention for propofing amendments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this conftitution, when rati fied by the legislatures of three fourths of the feveral States, or by con ventions in three fourths thereof, as the ene or the other mode of rati fication may be propofed by the Congrefs: provided, that no amendment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight, fhall in any manner affect the first and fourth claufes in the ninth section of the first article; and that no State, without its confent, fhall be deprived of its equal fuffrage in the Senate,

ARTICLE VI.

All debts contracted, and engagements entered into before the adop tion of this constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this conftitution, as under the confederation.

This conftitution, and the laws of the United States, which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, fhall be the fupreme law of the land; and the judges in every State fhall be bound thereby, any thing in the constitution or laws of any State to the contrary not withstanding.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the feveral State Legiflatures, and all Executive and Judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the feveral States, fhall be bound by oath or affirmation to fupport this constitution; but no religious teft fhall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public truft under the United States.

ARTICLE VII.

The ratification of the conventions of nine States fhall be fufficient for the establishment of this constitution, between the States fo ratifying the fame.

DONE in Convention, by the unanimous confent of the States prefent, the feventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty-feven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the Twelfth. In Witness whereof, we have hereunto fub, fcribed our names.

GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prefidente Signed alfo by all the Delegates which were prefent from tavelve States. WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary,

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In CONVENTION, Monday, September 17, 1787.

PRESENT,

The States of New Hampshire, Maffachusetts, Connecticut, Mr. Hamilton from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

RESOLVED, That the preceding conftitution be laid before the United States in Congrefs affembled, and that it is the opinion of this Convention, that it should afterwards be fubmitted to a Convention of Delegates, chofen in each State by the people thereof, under the recommendation of its legislature, for their affent and ratification; and that each Convention affenting to, and ratifying the fame, fhould give uotice thereof to the United States in Congress affembled.

RESOLVED, That it is the opinion of this Convention, that as foon as the conventions of nine States fhall have ratified this conftitution, the United States in Congress assembled fhould fix a day on which electors fhould be appointed by the States which shall have ratified the fame, and a day on which the electors should assemble to vote for the President, and the time and place for commencing proceedings under this Constitution. That after fuch publication, the electors fhould be appointed, and the fenators and reprefentatives elected; that the electors should meet on the day fixed for the election of the president, and should transmit their votes certified, figned, fealed, and directed, as the conftitution requires, to the Secretary of the United States in Congrefs affembled; that the fenators and representatives should convene at the time and place affigned ; that the fenators should appoint a prefident of the fenate, for the fole purpofe of receiving, opening, and counting the votes for prefident; and that after he fhall be chofen, the Congrefs, together with the prefident, fhould, without delay, proceed to execute this conftitution.

SIR,

By the unanimous order of the Convention,

GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prefident.
WILLIAM JACKSON, Secretary.

In CONVENTION, September 17, 1787.

WE have now the honour to fubmit to the confideration of the United States in Congrefs affembled, that conftitution which has appeared to us the most adviseable.

The friends of our country have long feen and defired, that the power of making war, peace, and treaties, that of levying money and regulating commerce, and the correfpondent executive and judicial authorities, fhould be fully and effectually vefted in the general government of the union; but the impropriety of delegating fuch extenfive truft to one

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body of men is evident. Hence refults the neceffity of a different or ganization.

It is obviously impracticable, in the federal government of these States, to fecure all rights of independent fovereignty to each, and yet provide for the interest and fafety of all. Individuals entering into fociety must give up a fhare of liberty to preferve the reft. The magnitude of the facrifice must depend as well on fituation and circumftances, as on the object to be attained. It is at all times difficult to draw with precifion the line between thofe rights which must be furrendered, and those which may be referved; and on the prefent occafion this difficulty was increased by a difference among the feveral States as to their fituation, extent, habits, and particular interefts.

In all our deliberations on this fubject, we kept steadily in our view, that which appears to us the greatest interest of every true American, the confolidation of our union, in which is involved our profperity, felicity, fafety, perhaps our national existence. This important confideration, feriously and deeply impreffed on our minds, led each State in the convencion to be lefs rigid on points of inferior magnitude, than might have been otherwise expected; and thus the constitution, which we now prefent, is the refult of a fpirit of amity, and of that mutual deference and conceffion which the peculiarity of our political fituation rendered indifpenfable.

That it will meet the full and entire approbation of every State is not perhaps to be expected: but each will doubtlefs confider, that had her interests been alone confulted, the confequences might have been particularly difagreeable or injurious to others: that it is liable to as few exceptions as could reasonably have been expected, we hope and believe; that it may promote the lafting welfare of that country fo dear to us all, and fecure her freedom and happiness, which is our most ardent wish, With great refpeft, we have the honour to be, Sir, your Excellency's moft obedient, and humble fervants,

GEORGE WASHINGTON, Prefident,

By unanimous order of the Convention.

His Excellency the Prefident of the Congress,

The conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the conftitution expreffed a defire, in order to prevent mifcon Atruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive claufes fhould be added: and as extending the ground of public confidence in the government will best ensure the beneficent ends of its inftitution, it was

RESOLVED by the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives of the United

States

States of America in Congrefs affembled, two-thirds of both houses concurring, That the following articles be propofed to the legiflatures of the feveral States, as amendinents to the conftitution of the United States, all or any of which articles, when ratified by three-fourths of the faid legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the faid conftitution: viz.

ART. I. After the firft enumeration required by the first article of the conftitution, there shall be one reprefentative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the propor tion shall be so regulated by Congrefs, that there fhall be not less than one hundred reprefentatives, nor lefs than one reprefentative for every forty thoufand perfons, until the number of reprefentatives fhall amount to two hundred, after which the proportion fhall be fo regulated by Congrefs, that there shall not be lefs than two hundred representatives, nor more than one reprefentative for every fifty thousand perfons.

ART. II. No law varying the compenfation for the fervices of the fenators and reprefentatives fhall take effect, until an election of reprefentatives fhall have intervened.

ART. III. Congrefs fhall make no law refpecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercife thereof; or abridging the freedom of fpeech, or of the prefs; or the fight of people peaceably to affemble, and to petition the government for a redrefs of grievances. ART. IV. A well-regulated militia being necessary to the fecurity of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms fhall not be infringed.

ART. V. No foldier fhall in time of peace be quartered in any houfe without the confent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

ART. VI. The right of the people to be fecure in their perfons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable fearches and feizures, fhall not be violated, and no warrants fhall iffue, but upon probable caufe, fupported by oath or affirmation, and particularly defcribing the place to be fearched, and the perfons or things to be feized.

ART. VII. No perfon fhall be held to anfwer for a capital, or otherwife infamous crime, unlefs on a prefentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cafes arifing in the land or naval forces, or in the militia when in actual fervice, in time of war or public danger; nor fhall be compelled in any criminal cafe to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of

law ;.

law; nor fhall private property be taken for public ufe without juft compenfation.

ART. VIII. In all criminal profecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accufation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favour; and to have the affiftance in counsel for his defence.

ART. IX. In fuits at common law, where the value in controverfy fhall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury fhall be preferved, and no fact, tried by a jury, fhall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

ART. X. Exceffive bail fhall not be required, nor exceffive fines impofed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

ART. XI. The enumeration in the conftitution, of certain rights, fhall not be conftrued to deny or difparage others retained by the people.

ART. XII. The powers not delegated to the United States by the conftitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States refpectively, or to the people.

The following States have ratified all the foregoing articles of amend ment to the conftitution of the United States, viz. Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, New York, Virginia, and Vermont. New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania reject the fecond article; and Delaware rejects the first article. No official returns, to our knowledge, have been made from the other States.

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AGAINST this conftitution, thus ratified, organized and established, objections may no doubt be urged, and defects pointed out; it be faid that it contains no declaration of rights, and that the laws of the general government being paramount to the laws and conftitutions of the feveral States, the declarations of rights in the feveral state conftitutions are no fecurity-nor are the people fecured even in the enjoyment of the benefits of the common law.

Owing to the small number of members in the house of reprefentatives, there is not the fubftance, but the fhadow only of reprefentation, which can never produce proper information in the legiflature, or infpire confidence in the people-the laws will therefore be generally made by men little concerned in, and unacquainted with, their effects and confequences.

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