DATE=8-14-2003

TYPE=Special English Feature

NUMBER=7-28914

TITLE=SPECIAL ENGLISH THE MAKING OF A NATION #25-Writing The Constitution part 9

BYLINE=Christine Johnson

TELEPHONE=619-2585

DATELINE=Washington

EDITOR=Marilyn Christiano

CONTENT=

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

THE MAKING OF A NATION -- a program in Special English by the

Voice of America.

(THEME)

In May of Seventeen-Eighty-Seven, a group of America's early

leaders met in Philadelphia. They planned to change the Articles

of Confederation, which provided a loose union of the thirteen

American states. Instead of changes, however, they wrote a

completely new Constitution. That political document established

America's system of government and guaranteed the rights of its

citizens. It is still the law of the land.

I'm Maurice Joyce. Today, Shep O'Neal and I complete

the story of the Constitution.

VOICE TWO:

Last week, we told how the convention discussed the difficult

issue of slavery. Slavery affected the decision on how to count

the population for purposes of representation in Congress. It

also affected the powers proposed for the Congress. The

convention accepted several political compromises on the issue.

One compromise was the 'three-fifths' rule. The population would

be counted every ten years to decide how many representatives

each state would have. The delegates agreed that every five

Negro slaves would be counted as three persons.

Another compromise permitted states to import slaves until the

year Eighteen-Oh-Eight. After that, no new slaves could be

brought into the country.

Many of the delegates in Philadelphia did not like these

compromises. But they knew the compromises kept the southern

states from leaving the convention. Without them, as one

delegate said, no union could be formed.

VOICE ONE:

After all the debates, bitter arguments, and compromises, the

delegates were nearing the end of their work. Four months had

passed since the convention began. The weather had been hot.

Emotions had been hot, too. But that was expected. For the men

in Philadelphia were deciding the future of their country.

Early in September, the convention appointed five men to a

Committee of Style. It was their job to write the document

containing all the convention's decisions. William Samuel

Johnson of Connecticut was chairman of the committee. The other

members were Alexander Hamilton of New York, Gouverneur Morris of

Pennsylvania, Rufus King of Massachusetts, and James Madison of

Virginia.

Of these five men, Gouverneur Morris was known for the beauty of

his language. So Judge Johnson asked him to write the

Constitution.

VOICE TWO:

The convention approved twenty-three parts, or articles, for the

Constitution. Gouverneur Morris re-wrote them in a more simple

form, so there were just seven.

Article One describes the powers of the Congress. It explains

how to count the population for purposes of representation. And

it says who can become senators or representatives, and how long

they can serve.

Article Two describes the powers of the president. It explains

who can be president. And it tells how he is to be elected.

Article Three describes the powers of the federal judiciary.

The first three articles provide a system of 'checks and

balances'. The purpose is to prevent any of the three branches

of government -- legislative, executive, and judicial -- from

becoming too powerful.

VOICE ONE:

Article Four explains the rights and duties of the states under

the new central government. Article Five provides a system for

amending the Constitution. Article Six declares the Constitution

to be the highest law of the land. And Article Seven simply says

the Constitution will be established when nine states approve it.

In addition to the seven articles, the Constitution contains an

opening statement, or preamble.

The convention prepared its own preamble. It began, "We the

undersigned delegates of the states of New Hampshire,

Massachusetts. . ." and so on. And it listed all thirteen states

by name.

VOICE TWO:

The Committee of Style did not think it was a good idea to list

each state. After all, Rhode Island never sent a delegate to

Philadelphia. And no one knew for sure if every state would

approve the Constitution.

So, Gouverneur Morris wrote down instead, "We the People of the

United States of America. . ."

Those simple words solved the committee's problem. Who suspected

they would cause angry debate during the fight to approve the

Constitution? For they made clear that the power of the central

government came not from the nation's states, but directly from

its citizens.

VOICE ONE:

The rest of the preamble says why the Constitution was written.

'...in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice,

guarantee peace at home, provide for the common defense, work for

the well-being of all, and hold on to the blessings of liberty

for ourselves and our children...'.

The next step was to sign the document.

VOICE TWO:

On September Seventeenth, the delegates gathered for the last

time. One might think all their business finally was done. But

Nathaniel Gorham of Massachusetts rose to speak.

"If it is not too late," he said, "I would like to make a change.

We have agreed that one Congressman will represent every

forty-thousand persons. I think that number should be

thirty-thousand.

Gorham's proposal could have caused a bitter argument. Then,

suddenly, George Washington stood up. The delegates were

surprised, because he had said little all summer. "Now,"

Washington said, "I must speak out in support of the proposed

change. It will guarantee a greater voice in the government for

the people of the nation."General Washington's influence was

strong. Every delegate agreed to accept the change.

VOICE ONE:

Finally, it was time to sign the Constitution. It also was the

last chance to speak against it. Many delegates did not like all

parts of the Constitution. They stated their objections. Yet,

they declared, for the good of the nation, they would sign.

Several, however, refused to put their name on the Constitution.

Edmund Randolph of Virginia said he could not sign the document

because he believed it would not be approved. Elbridge Gerry of

Massachusetts did believe the Constitution would be approved.

And that, he said, would lead to civil war. So he would not

sign.

George Mason of Virginia also refused to sign, but he did not say

why. He wrote his thoughts, instead. His chief reason for not

signing: the Constitution did not directly guarantee the rights

of citizens.

The country would hear this argument again later. Many people

agreed with Mason. The results were the first ten amendments to

the Constitution. Those amendments became known as 'the Bill of

Rights'.

VOICE TWO:

Randolph, Gerry, and Mason were the only delegates in

Philadelphia who did not sign the Constitution. Four other

delegates who opposed went home before the signing. They were

Luther Martin and John Mercer of Maryland. And Robert Yates and

John Lansing of New York.

Nine men who supported the Constitution also went home early and

did not sign. Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut. Caleb Strong of

Massachusetts. William Houstoun and William Pierce of Georgia.

Alexander Martin and William Davie of North Carolina. William

Houston of New Jersey. George Wythe and James McClurg of

Virginia.

VOICE ONE:

Few of the delegates in Philadelphia could be sure that enough

states would approve the Constitution to make it the law of the

land. And few could know then that Americans of the future would

honor them as 'fathers' of the nation. But, as several said

later, they wrote the best Constitution they could. Without it,

the young nation would break apart. The United States of America

would disappear before it had a chance to succeed.

VOICE TWO:

As the last delegates moved to the table to sign the

Constitution, Benjamin Franklin looked at a painting behind the

president's chair. He spoke softly to the men around him.

Franklin noted that it is difficult to paint a morning sun that

appears different from an evening sun. "During the past four

months of this convention," he said, "I have often looked at that

painting. And I was never able to know if the picture showed a

morning sun or an evening sun. But now, at last, I know. I am

happy to say it is a morning sun. . .the beginning of a new day."

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

You have been listening to THE MAKING OF A NATION, a program in

Special English by the Voice of America. Your narrators were

Maurice Joyce and Shep O'Neal. Our program was written by

Christine Johnson.